Al-Qaeda leader killed, 8 others arrested near Samarra

SALAH EL-DIN / IraqiNews.com: One al-Qaeda gunman was killed and eight others were arrested in armed clashes that took place in south of Samarra on Tuesday, according to a security source. “A police force, backed by the U.S. troops, raided on Tuesday (Nov. 10) al-Saaywiya village, south of Samarra, where they clashed with an armed group,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The forces killed Hazem Samier, Abu Janah, al-Qaeda leader, and arrested eight others,” he added. “They managed also to seize a large amount of weapons and explosives during the operation,” he noted. Tikrit, the capital of Salah el-Din, is located 175 km north of Baghdad. SH (P)/SR 1