BAGHDAD — The U.S. military has captured a leading aide of Al Qaida
network chief Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi.
The military said U.S. troops arrested Mohammed Hila Hammad Ubaydi, also
known as Abu Ayman, on March 7. Officials said the news of the arrest was
delayed until Abu Ayman was identified through a DNA test.
"Ayman's capture will not only disrupt some of these attacks, but he
will also provide valuable information leading to the capture of other
terrorists he has worked with in the past," the U.S. military said on
Thursday.
Officials said Ayman, captured in Baghdad, served as the chief of staff
of intelligence in the Saddam Hussein regime. They said he joined Al Qaida
and was responsible for a series of abductions and assassination of Iraqi
officials and Westerners.
Ayman was identified as the chief of the so-called Secret Islamic Army,
which has operated in the northern province of Babil. The group was said to
be
linked to Al Qaida.
Officials said Ayman was captured on the basis of information provided
by other Al Qaida operatives. They said information on Ayman was provided by
his aide Abu Qatada, a Syrian national and arrested in December 2005.
"Ayman's capture was the result of a determined manhunt conducted by
Iraqi intelligence professionals and several intelligence agencies within
the coalition," the military statement said.
