US troops capture another of 'most wanted'

Iraq: American forces in Iraq yesterday capped their success on Tuesday in killing Saddam Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qusay…

Iraq: American forces in Iraq yesterday capped their success on Tuesday in killing Saddam Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qusay, by capturing the 11th person on their 55 most wanted list - the former head of the Special Republican Guard.

The commander of US forces in Iraq, Lieut Gen Ricardo Sanchez, did not identify by name the person who was taken into custody, referring only to his number on the list. He is Barzan Abd Al-Ghafur Sulayman Majid Al-Tikriti.

His detention brought to 37 the number of arrests out of the 55 Iraqis US-led forces want detained. Lieut Gen Sanchez declined to say where Barzan was seized.

But earlier in the day, the Americans suffered another setback when two US soldiers were killed and at least eight others were wounded in the first fatal attacks on US-led forces since they killed Uday and Qusay.

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One US soldier was killed and six wounded when their vehicle hit a mine or home-made explosive device in Mosul.

"We heard a loud blast and then the windows breaking. We looked out and saw an American armoured personnel carrier on fire, and American soldiers wounded," said Salah Sayegh, who lives across the street from the scene of the blast.

In a separate attack, another US soldier was killed and two others wounded near the restive town of Ramadi west of Baghdad when their convoy was attacked with an improvised explosive, a US military spokesman said.

The US spokesman said the soldiers were from the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment. Ramadi is in the so-called sunni triangle to the north and west of Baghdad where many of the guerrilla attacks on US troops have been concentrated.

The deaths brought to 41 the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1st.

US officials had said they feared an upsurge in attacks as die-hard Saddam loyalists sought to avenge his sons.

"We could see attacks in the next few days as revenge," Paul Bremer, the US administrator of Iraq said.

Al Jazeera television showed footage of masked men with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades vowing vengeance. "We will make them regret what they did to Uday and Qusay," one said.

But US forces will be bolstered by the first of 1,300 Spanish troops who were due to leave yesterday for deployment in Iraq as part of an international force to control a largely shia Muslim zone south of Baghdad.

Spanish Prime Minister Mr Jose Maria Aznar firmly supported the US-led war and previously sent about 1,100 troops and a hospital ship on a humanitarian mission.

A Defence Ministry spokesman in Madrid said the first plane with about 60 troops for the force would leave Zaragoza air base bound for Kuwait. More soldiers would follow early today.

Spain, Poland and Ukraine will each lead brigades covering an area south of Baghdad stretching from the eastern border with Iran to the Saudi Arabian frontier in the west.

The central and eastern part of the internationally controlled zone includes largely shia towns like the holy city of Najaf, where the Spanish troops will take over from US forces.The area further west along the Saudi border is largely uninhabited.

The Spanish brigade will also work with smaller units from Honduras, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

About a dozen countries are participating in the occupation, although the United States provides the overwhelming majority of the force, with about 146,000 troops in Iraq. - (Reuters)