Light at the End of the Iraq Tunnel, Chapter XXIII

Nick Gillespie | March 22, 2007

AP, via Cincy Enquirer:

The U.S. military said Thursday it had captured the leaders of a Shiite insurgent network responsible for kidnapping and killing five American troops - one of the boldest and most sophisticated attacks on U.S. soldiers in the war in Iraq.

The statement said the arrests took place over the past three days in the cities of Basra and Hillah south of Baghdad. The military said the network was led by Qais Khazali and his brother Laith Khazali. Several other members of the network also were captured.

The network was "directly connected" to the January kidnapping and murder of the Americans in the holy city of Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, the military said.

In the Jan. 20 attack, gunmen speaking English, wearing U.S. military uniforms and carrying American weapons abducted four U.S. soldiers at Karbala's provincial headquarters and later shot them to death. A fifth soldier was killed in the attack.

More here.