Leader of group tied to al Qaeda reported caught

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BAGHDAD -- The shadowy leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, an al Qaeda-inspired group that challenged the authority of Iraq's government, was captured yesterday in a raid on the western outskirts of Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was arrested along with several other insurgents in a raid in the town of Abu Ghraib, said Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman for the Baghdad security operation. U.S. officials had no confirmation of the capture and said they were looking into the report.

A senior adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also said al-Baghdadi had been taken into custody.

Gen. al-Moussawi said al-Baghdadi acknowledged his identity, as did another "of the terrorists" who confirmed "that the one in our hands is al-Baghdadi."

The arrest comes at a time when the Baghdad security operation is showing early signs of progress in curbing violence. Car bombings have decreased in frequency, despite last Monday's devastating blast that killed 38 and this week's rash of assaults against Shi'ite pilgrims that claimed more than 340 lives nationwide.

Mr. al-Maliki yesterday ventured into the streets and chatted with Iraqis at police checkpoints to showcase security ahead of an international conference aimed at stabilizing the country with help from its neighbors.

Washington is sending David Satterfield a veteran Middle East hand to the talks. He promises that "we are not going to turn and walk away" if approached by Iran or Syria to discuss Iraq.

Tehran's envoy, Abbas Araghchi, is a British-educated diplomat considered one of Iran's leading Western analysts. Before leaving Iran for the meeting he said he "hopes to take more steps" to support the U.S.-backed government -- which is led by a Shi'ite prime minister with close ties to Shi'ite heavyweight Iran.

With a flexible agenda -- and a matchmaking Iraqi host -- the international gathering today to help steer Iraq's future also appears as a prime opportunity for some icebreaking overtures between Iran and the United States.

U.S. forces, meanwhile, killed a suspected militant and captured 16 others in raids across Iraq, the military said. Among those detained were a man accused of working in al Qaeda's press wing and another thought to be responsible for kidnappings, beheadings and suicide attacks.