Ansar al-Islam leader arrested in Iraq

The United States military said Tuesday that a leader of a Sunni insurgent group had been arrested last month during a joint Iraqi-American operation. The man, Fakri Hadi Gari, was among 10 people arrested July 24 during raids in the northern city of Mosul, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Gari is suspected of organizing violent attacks carried out by the insurgent group Ansar al-Islam and of being in charge of its recruiting and financing operations, the statement said. Ansar al-Islam has roots in the country’s Kurdish region and has been blamed for suicide bombings throughout the country. He is also believed to have facilitated the movement of terrorists across the borders of Iraq.

• "U.S. announce the arrests of Sunni insurgent leaders", New York Times, 8/4/09.
• "Ansar al-Islam", Council on Foreign Relations, 11/5/08.