Iraqi police chief held after investigation
BAGHDAD — A Sunni Muslim police chief who was praised by U.S. forces for clearing his city of insurgents has been arrested after an investigation of alleged murder, corruption and crimes against the Iraqi people, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
Col. Hamid Ibrahim Jazaa, his brother and 14 bodyguards were taken into custody Tuesday in Hit, about 100 miles west of Baghdad, according to a statement by the public affairs office of Multinational Corps-Iraq.
The statement said the arrests were coordinated with Hit officials and that the detainees were in coalition custody.
It gave no details of the allegations.
Jazaa was lauded by the U.S. military for leading a crackdown on insurgents in the Sunni Arab city in February.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, visited the city March 10.
He strolled through the outdoor market alongside a beaming Jazaa and other local officials.
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