 US forces detained 17 suspected fighters in a series of raids in and around Iraq's main northern city of Mosul, the US military said on Monday. Twelve were detained in operations in Mosul, four in the town of Tal Afar farther west and one in an unspecified part of the surrounding Nineveh province. Weapons and bomb-making equipment were recovered, the military said. Mosul has long been a stronghold of Sunni Arab fighters, while US commanders say Tal Afar has become a major staging point for foreign fighters infiltrating Iraq from Syria and other Arab countries. |