Saudi AQI member captured in Basra

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: A Saudi accused of being a senior Al-Qaeda leader in southern Iraq has been arrested in the port city of Basra along with three of his aides, an Iraqi army official told AFP on Saturday. “A special force from the Interior Ministry arrested the Al-Qaeda chief with three of his Iraqi assistants,” he said on condition of anonymity, without naming the men or giving a date for the arrests. “He is a Saudi and was arrested in a house in the Abu al-Khassib district with his Iraqi assistants. They have been transferred to Baghdad by military aircraft ,” the official added. Iraq has seen drastic improvements in security over the past two years as U.S. and Iraqi forces have allied with local tribes and former insurgents to drive Al-Qaeda and other armed groups out of vast swathes of the country. But attacks are still common and have killed more than 80 people this month, according to an AFP count based on reports from security officials. AmR (P)/SR 1