Excerpt:
 

Two men the U.S. says are key figures in Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist network are in U.S. custody following a sweep of Ramadi, Iraq, U.S. military sources revealed in a statement Saturday.

Soldiers of the Marine Expeditionary Force captured Saleh Arugayan Kahlil (Mahalawi), also known as Abu Ubaydah, on December 8 and caught Bassim Mohammad Hazeem, also known as Abu Khattab, on December 12, the release states.

According to the statement, the two men were cell leaders of the "Harun terrorist network," an al-Zarqawi-affiliated group operating in Ramadi and western al Anbar province.

"This group is responsible for intimidating, attacking and murdering innocent Iraqi civilians, Iraqi police and security forces and business and political leaders throughout the Anbar province," it read.

The U.S. military blames the Harun terrorist network for kidnapping and killing 11 Iraqi National Guardsmen during the last several months and carrying out several lethal bombing attacks.

The terrorist cell also is believed to have smuggled foreign terrorists into Iraq, in an effort "to destabilize the region and prevent economic growth in Iraq," according to the statement.

The soldiers who captured the men were attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force.

cnn.com