U.S. troops detain four insurgents smuggling Iranian weapons in Baghdad

U.S. troops detained four suspected insurgents, including an insurgent cell leader, during raids in northeast Baghdad on Tuesday morning, the U.S. military said.

The detainees are believed to be members of a "secret cell terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training," a military statement said.

Based on intelligence reports, the suspected insurgent cell leader who was detained in the raids is "associated with the operational and logistic elements of the secret cell terrorist network," the statement said.

"He is also believed to be involved in the procurement and distribution of small arms," it added.

The U.S. military frequently accused Iran of providing Iraqi Shiite militia with weapons and parts for sophisticated armored- piercing bombs, which has been denied by Iran.

U.S. and Iraqi security forces have staged a security plan in the capital since Feb. 14 with an aim of putting rampant violence under control.

Source: Xinhua