U.S. troops detain 30 suspected al-Qaida militants in Iraq

    Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces arrested a total of 30 suspected insurgents during operations targeting al-Qaida networks in Iraq, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

    The troops captured 17 suspects in the town of Karmah in the western Anbar province during a raid against al-Qaida network believed responsible for car bombings, including attacks using chlorine toxic gas, the military said in a statement.

    Another five suspected militants were detained during an operation targeting an explosives expert believed to be part of the Baghdad car bombing network in north of Baghdad, the military said.

    They also detained an al-Qaida-linked suspect involved in weapons trafficking in an operation in Tarmiyah, 50 km north of Baghdad, it added.

    Two more suspected were detained in the northern city of Mosul and in western Baghdad, said the statement.

    Five others were captured near the city of Samarra, 120 km north of Baghdad and in Tikrit, 170 km north of the capital, according to the statement.