Iraq shrine bomber captured

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi security forces and U.S. troops captured a top al-Qaida in Iraq leader who helped carry out the bombing of one of Shiite Islam’s holiest shrines in February, a top Iraqi security official said Wednesday.

Yousri Fakher Mohammed Ali, a Tunisian also known as Abu Qudama al-Tunesi, was arrested several days ago after he and 15 other fighters stormed an Iraqi checkpoint 25 miles north of Baghdad, said Iraqi national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie. Iraqi commandos and troops killed the other militants and seriously wounded Abu Qudama.

Abu Qudama confessed to taking part in the attack on the al-Askari Mosque in Samarra on Feb. 22 and gave a detailed account of how the attack took place, al-Rubaie said. The bomb blast destroyed the dome of the mosque, igniting a wave of violence against Sunnis that killed scores of Iraqis and destroyed dozens of other mosques.

Al-Rubaie said Iraqi security forces have yet to capture the mastermind of the mosque attack, Haitham al-Badri, an Iraqi and leader of one of al-Qaida in Iraq’s cells. Still, Abu Qudama’s capture marked a significant victory for Iraqi security forces, which have struggled to stem the daily violence that plagues Iraq.