AQI leader netted in security operation

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: A key leader in al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) was arrested during a security operation in downtown Baaquba city, a local police chief said on Sunday. “On Sunday, police forces carried out a military operation that targeted an al-Qaeda hideout in Old Baaquba area, (downtown Baaquba), and arrested Mohammed Alwan Mareed, nicknamed ‘Emir of al-Muqdadiya’,” Staff Maj. Gen. Abdelhussein al-Shamri said in statements to IraqiNews.com. Earlier today, 19 al-Qaeda gunmen were arrested during operations in different parts of Diala province. Diala province, a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baaquba, 57 km northeast of Baghdad. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometers (6,828 sq mi). SS (P) 1