The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of 18 suspects in Anbar and Baghdad provinces in two separate security operations on Monday (September 20th).

Iraqi security officials said the detainees include the "number-one wanted terrorist in Anbar".

Anbar Police Chief Maj. Gen. Bahaa al-Karkhi told Mawtani.com that Iraqi police, in cooperation with a unit of Iraqi Army special forces, arrested five suspects in a rural house in the area of Saba al-Bour, northeast of Fallujah.

"The detainees include terrorist Majid Ibrahim Elwan, who is also known as Majid al-Bahul," al-Karkhi said. "He is the number-one wanted terrorist in Anbar and is in charge of the cell for recruiting suicide bombers for al-Qaeda in Iraq, which is known as the 'cell of support and supplies'. Four of his aides were also arrested."

"The arrest of these terrorists will lead to preventing a large number of suicide attacks in the western, middle, and northern areas of Iraq," al-Karkhi said.

Meanwhile, in Abu Ghraib city, Iraqi police arrested 13 suspects who security officials said were planning to launch an attack on engineers and construction workers working on local reconstruction projects there.

Col. Falah al-Dulaimi of the city police told Mawtani.com that the arrests were made after information led security forces to raid a building located in the al-Zeytoun area of central Abu Ghraib.

"The terrorists make up the nucleus of al-Qaeda terrorist organization in the city," al-Dulaimi said. "They were planning to disrupt the reconstruction and building campaign that was kicked off in Abu Ghraib and to destroy a water station that was supplying citizens with drinking water in Abu Ghraib."