Iraq - al Qaeda's number 2 captured

CNN reports.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Al Qaeda's No. 2 operative in Iraq, Hamed Jumaa Al Saeedi, has been arrested, the U.S. military and Iraq's national security adviser announced Sunday.

Al Saeedi, also known as Abu Rana and Abu Humam, is said to be second in command in the terrorist group al Qaeda in Iraq, behind Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

Al-Masri succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after he was killed during a U.S. airstrike in June.

UPDATE

Just saw a report on Fox News, that since his capture several days ago, he's given enough intelligence leads, that 11 more high level al Qaeda were capture or killed.

UPDATE

The BBC now have a report up. But the BBC aren't going to report good news from Iraq without throwing in a few bad items. Here are a couple of interesting bits from their report.

Mr Saedi was hiding in a building north of Baquba that was being used by families, Mr Rubaie said.

"He wanted to use children and women as human shields as our forces attempted to capture him."

Very brave these Muslim terrorists.

The BBC's James Shaw in Baghdad says the Iraqi government will see these latest arrests as a significant strike against the insurgency, particularly because they were carried out by Iraqi forces.