Iraqi security forces arrested Wednesday a top aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaida's wing in Iraq and one of Americans' most wanted men, a defense ministry official said.

"The Iraqi security forces backed by US troops captured on Monday Agha Umar, a top aide for Zarqawi, in Baquba, some 60 km northeast of Baghdad," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The official also said the Iraqi security forces detained 14 other suspected insurgents along with large cache of ammunition in separate raids on Abu Ghraib area, just west of Baghdad on Sunday.
 
Elsewhere, the security forces seized another cache of 1,400 homemade bombs in Jurf al-Sakhar, some 45 km south of Baghdad, the official said, adding, that several other suspects and ammunitions were also detained and seized in nearby areas.

As the leader of al-Qaida wing in Iraq, Zarqawi is the most wanted man with a bounty of US$25 million put on his head by Washington. He and his group have claimed responsibility for many devastating attacks and kidnappings in the two years of insurgency in Iraq.

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2005 )