5 wanted men arrested, 3 IEDs defused west of Basra

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Policemen captured five wanted persons, seized arms and munitions and defused three improvised explosive devices during a security operation conducted west of Basra on Sunday, a source from the province’s police information department said. “A police force in Basra conducted a search raid in Safwan plantations, (60 km) west of Basra, and arrested five wanted men, seized mortar shells of different calibers and defused three IEDs in the area of Mohammed al-Qassem, (10 km) west of Basra,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. The oil-rich port city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (P) 1