U S forces detain top Sunni leader in Iraq

TIKRIT, Jun 24 (Reuters) U S troops arrested a top Sunni Arab religious leader in the northern town of Tikrit today, said a senior provincial government official.

Abdullah Hussein, the deputy governor of Salahaddin province, said U S forces raided the home of Sheikh Jamal Abdel Karim al-Dabaan in the early morning and detained him and his two sons.

''Most of the provincial government institutions, including the provisional council, have suspended work to protest the arrest. Employees will not return to their offices until American forces release him,'' Hussein told Reuters.

''We don't know the reason behind this arrest but it is unjustified.'' Hussein said U S helicopters took part in the raid.

The U.S. military said it was looking into the incident.

Dabaan is a top Mufti, or religious authority, for most of Iraq's minority Sunni Muslim community, which was dominant under Saddam Hussein and now forms the backbone of the insurgency against the Shi'ite-led, American-backed government.

Tikrit is the hometown of Saddam, who is on trial for crimes against humanity.

REUTERS SBA HT1300