US forces capture Iran-linked 'terror cell leader'

BAGHDAD (AFP) - US and Iraqi forces captured an Iraqi militant accused of "acting as a proxy for an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer" on Friday after a fierce gunbattle, the military said.

The joint snatch squad called in an air strike after coming under fire during a raid on the hideout of an alleged weapons smuggling gang in the notorious Sadr City district, a Shiite militia bastion in east Baghdad.

Residents of Sadr City awoke to a scene of devastation in a marketplace with debris from the airstrike and rubble from buildings littering the area.

"Although there were no terrorists confirmed killed in the fighting, the opposing gunfire was subdued and Iraqi and coalition forces moved on to the objective," a statement from US command said.

"The individual detained during the raid is closely linked to a suspected leader in a secret cell terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq."