LOC20:30
17:30 GMT
(With MIL-IRAQ-BLASTS)
BAGHDAD, Jan 17 (KUNA) -- The Iraqi army launched an operation against
suspected hotbeds of the terrorist Al-Qaeda organization in the western
Al-Anbar Governorate, on Thursday.
The operation targeted the desert triangle on the borders with Jordan and
Syria where ten terrorists were killed, a local military source told KUNA.
The combat mission was backed by four gunships and aimed to foil the plans
of the terrorists in the areas of Makr Al-Zeib, Al-Hosseiniya, and Horan
valley near the border towns of Al-Qaem and Al-Ratba.
Eight terror suspects have been nabbed so far, the source said, noting that
eight Iraqi soldiers were injured in the ongoing operation.
The Iraqi authorities sealed off the borders with Syria and Jordan a few
days ago for fear of possible penetration by terrorist cells into the restive
Anbar Governorate. (end)
ahh.gb
KUNA 172030 Jan 13NNNN