DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq: Security forces arrested the members of an 18-man cell that has links with Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) network, according to al-Saadiya district chief on Saturday.“An Iraqi army force arrested on Saturday (Sept. 25) Mahmoud Mohannad Rasheed, who leads an AQI cell, along with 17 other cell members in Saadiya, Khanaqin district, and seized an arms cache containing 18 kg of C4 explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Khanaqin, one of the areas subject to dispute between the central Iraqi government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Iraq Kurdistan Region, lies 155 km northeast of Baaquba city.
“The cell is involved in attacks on several local officials, including Adnan Ismail, a member of the municipal council in Saadiya. The cell members had attached an IED to Ismail’s vehicle,” he added.
Baaquba, the capital city of the restive province of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.