The statement says almost 200 suspects have been captured over the past 24 hours in a mainly Sunni region south of Baghdad and has been a hotbed of the anti-government insurgency.
In other news, the U.S. military says two U.S. Marines were killed on September 3 by "enemy action" in the western province of Al-Anbar. More than 2,600 American troops have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.
In addition, police say unidentified gunmen have kidnapped a popular local soccer player in Baghdad. The abduction of Ghanim Khudayer, a member of the country's Olympic team, is the latest in a spate of such incidents to hit Iraqi sports officials and athletes.
(AFP, AP)