Iraqi forces detain 20 in raids in western Iraq

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iraqi forces backed by US troops detained 20 people in raids against insurgents suspected of manufacturing or planting bombs, the US military said Sunday. In one raid Saturday near Habaniyah, 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Baghdad, troops captured 15 people suspected of having ties to al-Qaida in Iraq, the military said. They were believed to have been involved in roadside bomb and small arms attacks against convoys in the Habaniyah and Fallujah area, the military said in a statement. Another five people were detained Saturday in Fallujah, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, another statement said. US and Iraqi troops were searching for a suspect believed to be selling bombs to other insurgents and to al-Qaida in Iraq, as well as smuggling foreign fighters into the country, it said. No Iraqi or US deaths resulted from the raids.