Report: 300 arrested, indefinite curfew in Mosul following insurgent attacks

A Mosul police officer guards detainees in April. Under 'emergency powers' citizens can be detained upon suspicion, without charges or trial, and held indefinitely. Mosul is Iraq's third largest city, with a population of 1.75 million.

Mosul, May 17, (VOI) - A total of three hundred suspected gunmen were arrested over the past 24 hours during a security operation in Mosul, while a curfew is still imposed on the city until further notice, deputy chief of Ninewa police department said on Thursday.

"The province's police forces, backed by Iraqi-U.S. troops, captured 300 suspected armed men during the past 24 hours in a security crackdown after the recent bomb attacks that rattled the city on Wednesday," Brigadier Mohammad Abdul Aziz al-Wakaa told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) over the phone.

He also noted that the curfew remains in force until further notice.

"Police patrols are now carrying patients to the hospitals," the brigadier explained.

A police source said on Wednesday that at least four policemen were killed and 30 people, including 14 policemen, were wounded when six car bombs were detonated in different parts of Mosul city, adding that 15 gunmen were killed during the clashes that broke out yesterday afternoon in the city.

"The primary death toll from the six blasts was four policemen dead and 30 people wounded, 14 of which were policemen," Brigadier Said Ahmed, Ninewa police media spokesman, told the (VOI).

He added, "15 gunmen were killed in the clashes that broke out this afternoon between gunmen and security forces."

The police media spokesman noted that "a Saudi national was among the dead gunmen."
Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening, unknown gunmen blew up two bridges in two separate attacks.

Mosul is the capital city of Ninewa province and is located 402 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

From VOI

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