U.S. forces kill wanted man, arrest 6 in Kut

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: U.S. army personnel on Sunday killed a wanted man who belongs to Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr’s Jaish al-Mahdi (JAM) and arrested six others in Kut city. “Coalition forces arrested six suspected members of the JAM Special Groups and Promise Day Brigade and killed one suspected network criminal early Sunday in Al Kut,” read a U.S. army statement that was received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “In an operation fully coordinated and approved by the Iraqi government, Coalition forces targeted a network financier, who is also responsible for smuggling weapons into the country to support JAM Special Groups and Promise Day Brigade,” the statement noted. “Coalition forces approached a residence believed to be the location of the suspect, as forces approached the residence an individual with a weapon came out of the home. Forces assessed him to be hostile, and they engaged the man, killing him. During the engagement, a woman in the area moved into the line of fire and was also struck by gunfire. A Coalition forces medic treated her on site, but she died of her wounds before she could be evacuated,” according to the statement. “Forces apprehended six other JAM Special Groups and Promise Day Brigade associates without incident,” it added. “The Government of Iraq has requested the temporary assistance of US forces for the purpose of supporting Iraq in its effort to maintain security and stability, including cooperation in the conduct of operations against terrorist and criminal groups, and remnants of the former regime,” it concluded. SS (S) 1