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What a day of such fantastic news! First we stream into the heart of Bagdad in a bold armored maneuver...and we stay! Then Khalid Barour, a suspect in the murder of two of our pow's, is stopped and arrested out of his chauffeur-driven white Toyota trying to get into Saudi Arabia! And now this guy, Al-Rabeei, an Al-Qaeda friend of OBL is fingered in Yemen. Is that the hat trick or what?

Of course we awoke wondering if last night's "non-conventional" attack had materialized only to find that it never did. Probably because all these thug leader guys were in full mortal panic now and heading for the border. H-u-u-rray!!!
The minister of mis-information's verbal threat of a "non-conventional attack" must have been the Iraqi equivalent of the diversion so they could make a run for it. [like we put on while rescuing Jessica]
I'd say today was a very, very satisfying day!

Baath official is held over killings
By Nick Parker in southern Iraq

A MAN suspected of being a leading Baath Party official was detained yesterday in connection with the killing of two British soldiers in southern Iraq.
Khalid Barour, who has been identified as a senior official in Saddam’s Baath Party and leader of a 15,000-strong tribe, was detained at a checkpoint. Soldiers in the southern town of al-Zubayr had been hunting Barour after local informants supplied his name.

They pounced as he was chauffeur-driven into a roadblock in his new white Toyota. Mr Barour was subjected to a forceful search at the side of the road by British light infantry troops.

The soldiers who detained him were clearly aware he had been implicated in the deaths of their comrades. Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth, 36, and Sapper Luke Allsopp, 24, were killed by Iraqi forces after their ten-vehicle British convoy was caught in a gunbattle on the road to al-Zubayr.

Mr Barour was forced to his knees and his elaborate patterned red headdress was torn from his head, which was pushed down whenever he protested.

Mr Barour was first spotted at the checkpoint because of his well-heeled appearance — the gleaming white car, fine white robes and a gold designer watch. A Warrior armoured car was called in to take him away for questioning.

A driver with him — who wept as he was held up at gunpoint — was later cleared of any involvement in the soldiers’ deaths and released.

Major Jonny Bowron of the Light Infantry said: “They may have been involved or have information regarding the disappearance of some of our soldiers. We are talking to them and inquiries are ongoing. This man and his father are significant people we want to talk to.”