5 suspected of targeting U.S. convoy captured in Wassit

WASSIT / IraqiNews.com: Joint Iraqi-U.S. forces captured five men suspected of having targeted a U.S. convoy earlier on Saturday in northern Wassit province, a police source said. “Joint forces from the Iraqi police and U.S. army detained five persons in al-Hafriya district, (105 km) north of al-Kut city, on charges of involvement in an operation that targeted a U.S. convoy earlier today (Jan. 24) with an improvised explosive device (IED) that destroyed one vehicle,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The arrests were made based on intelligence tip-offs,” he added. An IED planted by unidentified gunmen on the main road that links the Iraqi capital Baghdad to Kut city went off on Saturday near a U.S. convoy, destroying a Hummer vehicle. Kut, the capital city of Wassit province, lies 180 km southeast of Baghdad. AmR (P) 1