http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070208/ts_afp/iraq_070208183447Baghdad security sweep nets top official
by Ammar Karim Thu Feb 8, 1:43 PM ET
BAGHDAD (AFP) - US-backed Iraqi troops engaged in a major security sweep to break illegal militias' reign of terror in Baghdad and arrested the
Iraq health ministry's second highest official.
Meanwhile, 55 people were killed in violence around the country.
The US military accused Hakim al-Zamili, the health ministy's deputy secretary, of providing millions of dollars to the capital's Shiite death squads.
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Jaysh Al-Mahdi (JAM) is the Arabic term for the Mahdi Army, a powerful militia group loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Iraqi Health Minister Ali al-Shamari reacted sharply to the arrest, saying: "This is a violation of the health ministry and of the sovereignty of Iraq."