By Country / Iraq
U.S. Military Says 600 Militiamen Detained In Iraq
January 23, 2007
Fighters loyal to Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr (file photo) (AFP)
A military statement said 16 top leaders of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia are in detention, awaiting prosecution by Iraqi authorities.
It said that 33 Sunni extremists, described as "cell leaders," had also been captured.
The statement comes amid deadly sectarian and insurgent violence that killed at least 100 people in and around Baghdad on January 22.
(AFP, AP)