The Iraqi Interior Ministry said Saturday (January 14th) that special forces arrest nine suspected al-Qaeda-affiliated gunmen in Salah al-Din, north of Baghdad.

"A special unit from the Interior Ministry's commando forces attacked an al-Qaeda hideout in the Siniya desert, south of Tikrit, Saturday at dawn and managed to arrest nine al-Qaeda-affiliated gunmen who formed a terrorist cell known as 'Direct Implementation', which specialized in assassinations and IED blasts," Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Adil Daham told Al-Shorfa.

The raiding force also found weapons and explosives, as well as an explosives vest and a number of locally made sticky bombs used in assassinations.

He added that among the detainees is an alleged terrorist wanted by eight different provincial courts.