TIKRIT, Aug 6: US forces arrested 18 Iraqis suspected of being Saddam Hussein loyalists in raids north of Baghdad on Tuesday night, a military spokesman said.

“Over the last 24 hours, Task Force Ironhorse conducted 291 patrols, seven raids and detained 18 suspected former regime loyalists,” Lt Col Bill MacDonald of the Fourth Infantry Division (4ID) said.

“One of the detainees was a targeted individual who had been planning attacks against coalition forces,” MacDonald said.

Tikrit is the hub of the United States operation to catch or kill Saddam and the rest of his supporters.

Task Force Ironhorse, a massive deployment of some 26,000 US personnel comprising 4ID and other units, is at the forefront of the campaign.

The suspects were among the 130 people the US military said were detained in 18 raids and 2,038 patrols nationwide during the 24-hour period, examples of the barrage of hard-hitting US operations sweeping the country as efforts continue apace to root out opponents to the occupation.—AFP