AQI leader netted near Tikrit

SALAH AL-DIN / IraqiNews.com: The Multi-National Force (MNF) has arrested an al-Qaeda leader and a suspect during a security operation near Salah al-Din’s city of Tikrit, according to an MNF statement. “During an operation Tuesday near Tikrit, 160 km north of Baghdad, Coalition forces captured a suspected terrorist who is believed to be an AQI cell leader in the area. The individual identified himself as the wanted man and surrendered to Coalition forces. One additional suspect was detained during the operation,” read the statement that was received by IraqiNews.com. Salah al-Din has an area of 24,751 square kilometers (9,556.4 sq mi). The estimated population for 2003 was 2,146,500 people. Located in Central Iraq, north of Baghdad, it is a mainly Sunni province with only two Shiite districts, namely Balad and al-Dujail. Its capital city is Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. It also includes other important districts like Baiji, north of Tikrit, 175 km north of Baghdad. The province also contains the significantly larger city of Samarra. Before 1976 the province was part of the governorate of Baghdad. It is named after Saladin (written Salah ah Din in modern Arabic), an ethnic Kurd and hero of the 12th century. Salahuddin province is a variant version of the province’s name. SS (S)/SR 1