Baghdad, 17 November 2003 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. soldiers say they have captured a former Iraqi Special Forces officer and militia leader suspected of staging attacks on U.S. troops. The U.S. Army said in a statement today that Kathim Muhammad Faris was captured in the central town of Al-Habbaniyah on 15 November.
The statement described him as "a former Iraqi Special Forces officer and a Fedayeen leader who is believed to be responsible for improvised explosive device attacks and ambushes on coalition forces" in the "Sunni triangle" region around Baghdad.
The army said Faris was closely linked to Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad, number 54 on a U.S. list of the 55 most-wanted former Iraqi officials. Forty of the people on the list have already been captured or killed.
The statement described him as "a former Iraqi Special Forces officer and a Fedayeen leader who is believed to be responsible for improvised explosive device attacks and ambushes on coalition forces" in the "Sunni triangle" region around Baghdad.
The army said Faris was closely linked to Khamis Sirhan al-Muhammad, number 54 on a U.S. list of the 55 most-wanted former Iraqi officials. Forty of the people on the list have already been captured or killed.