The top US military spokesman in Iraq says US military forces have arrested a senior al-Qaida figure and personal associate of the group's new leader.
Major General William Caldwell says the man, who was not identified, was arrested on Tuesday and had led assassination, kidnapping and bomb-making cells in Baghdad.
 "As part of these operations on Tuesday evening alone there was a series of 25 raids in and around Baghdad targeting al-Qaida in Iraq activities. A key outcome of these raids was the capture of over 70 suspected terrorists, of which one was the personal associate of Abu Ayyoub al-Masri."
He added that there have been 150 focused operations carried out since August 30, resulting in 66 terrorists killed and 830 suspected terrorists detained, as well as the discovery of multiple weapons cashes.
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Director: Liu Chi