9 wanted men arrested in Babel

BABEL / IraqiNews.com: Nine wanted persons were arrested during security operations in different parts of Hilla city, according to a local security source. “On Saturday, Scorpion forces from Babel police command captured three wanted men in al-Hashemiya district,” the source told IraqiNews.com. “Six Kalashnikov rifles and forged identification cards were found in their possession,” the source added. “In another operation, a joint force from the army and police arrested three wanted men in al-Iskandriya district with explosive devices and weapons in their possession,” according to the same source. “Meanwhile, checkpoint forces today arrested three wanted persons in al-Maseeb district while they were planting improvised explosive charges on the road,” the source noted. Babel, a Shiite province that lies 100 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, has an area of 6,468 square kilometers (2,497.3 sq mi), with an estimated population of 1,385,783 people in 2003. The provincial capital is the town of al-Hilla. The ancient ruins of Babylon (Babil, after which the region is named) are also in the province. SS (P) 1