US captures senior al Qaeda militant in Iraq

Baghdad, June 23 : The US military said today it had captured a senior al Qaeda member in Iraq near an area where the group's leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a US air strike two weeks ago.

It said three other militants were detained during US-led raids on Monday southwest of Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad.

The statement did not mention the name of the senior al Qaeda militant but said he was known for ''facilitating'' foreign fighters throughout central Iraq.

Zarqawi was killed on June 7 after a US war plane dropped two 500-pound bombs on his ''safe house'' near Baquba. US-led forces have conducted frequent raids near Baquba and the rest of Diyala province, where al Qaeda militants are highly active.

Reuters