WASHINGTON, Jan 28: The arrests of two top lieutenants of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi have put Iraqi security forces closer to capturing the Jordanian militant and eradicating his Al Qaeda-affiliated group, Iraq's deputy prime minister said on Friday.

"I am hopeful, based on the evidence that we see, we are moving closer and closer to decimating and eliminating that threat from our country," Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh told reporters here via a two-way video link from Baghdad.

Earlier, Iraqi authorities announced the capture of Salah Salam Dubaig Al Ubaidi, also known as Abu Saif, who was believed to be Zarqawi's main commander in Baghdad, and Ali Mohamed Yassin al Issawi, another close aide who is also known as Abu Hassan.

Saleh said the captures had given Iraqi authorities a much clearer picture of Zarqawi's network, which is believed to be responsible for many of the spectacular car bombings and high-profile assassinations aimed at derailing Sunday's national elections.

Abu Saif, whom Zarqawi recently named "amir" of Baghdad, told interrogators he met Zarqawi at least four times last month, while Abu Hassan claimed to have seen him 40 times over the past three months, Mr Saleh said.

Abu Hassan, said Mr Saleh, "claims to be the gatekeeper for Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, like a chief logistical officer, arranging meetings for Zarqawi ... with members of his networks and other people planning and acting on terrorist operations".

"We are getting a better and better picture of the Zarqawi network based on the arrests that we have made over the past few weeks," he said. Asked how close authorities were to capturing Zarqawi, Mr Saleh said: "I hope close. But we cannot be complacent. We are after him. This is a dangerous man, responsible for the death of so many Iraqis and coalition members, and we are after him. Sooner or later, we will get him."

Mr Saleh said at least a dozen senior Zarqawi associates have been captured over the past two months, and more than 20 other members of his network have been rounded up.

Abu Saif, the Baghdad "amir", identified another recently captured Zarqawi lieutenant, Abu Omar al Kurdi, as the bombmaker who carried out many of the attacks in Baghdad, including the May 17 assassination of the acting president of the Iraqi Governing Council, Abdul Zahra Osman Mohammed, known as Ezzedine Salim, according to Mr Saleh.

In announcing Kurdi's arrest earlier this week, the Iraqi government said he was responsible for 32 attacks, including the devastating 2003 bombing of the UN's Baghdad headquarters, which killed 22 people, including the world body's envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Kurdi's real name is Sami Mohammad Said al Jaf. -AFP