Iraqi police on Friday (July 13th) arrested 10 suspected members of al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Sunna in a military operation carried out in Ninawa province, the Defence Ministry said.

At a press conference held at Ninawa's army command headquarters, Maj. Gen. Ali al-Fraiji said "the detainees include Asaad Mohammed Saleh, a prominent Ansar al-Sunna leader, who was arrested at a building in Makkuk village, 80 kilometres south of Mosul."

Al-Fraiji, who is the commander of the army's 2nd Division, said, "Saleh was involved in assassinating the president of the Ninawa Court of Appeal last week."