Iraqi forces have captured a man described as a trusted aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist.

The captured man was identified as Talib Mikhlif Arsan Walman al-Dulaymi, also known as Abu Qutaybah, a government announcement said. He arranged safe houses and transportation for the Zarqawi network as well as passing packages and funds to Zarqawi himself, it said.

A man said to be one of Mr al-Zarqawi's drivers was also arrested. The captures were made on Sunday in the town of Anah, 160 miles northwest of Baghdad, in a comparatively lawless region 35 miles from the Syrian border.

Mr al-Zarqawi's terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for virtually all the worst atrocities in the Iraqi insurgency. There is a $25 million dollar reward for his capture. His group claims to be affiliated to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

"Security forces in Iraq conducted a raid in Anah on February 20 resulting in the capture of Talib Mikhlif Arsan Walman al-Dulaymi, aka Abu Qutaybah, a trusted lieutenant of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," said the official statement.

"Ahmed Khalid Marad Ismail al-Rawi, aka Abu Uthman, was captured during the same raid. Abu Uthman arranged meetings for Zarqawi and occasionally acted as his driver.

"Abu Qutaybah was responsible for determining who, when and how terrorist network leaders would meet with al-Zarqawi. His extensive contacts and operational ability throughout western Iraq made him a critical figure in the Zarqawi network."

In recent weeks Iraq's government has claimed to have captured several of Mr al-Zarqawi's aides and associates. On Thursday, it said that it had detained Mohammed Najm Ibrahim, alias Mohammed Najm, another top aide, in the town of Baquba, north of Baghdad. He was responsible for the beheading of several citizens and for attacks against Iraqi security forces, it said.

Mr al-Zarqawi's gang has claimed responsibility for bombing the UN headquarters in Baghdad, and numerous massacres of Iraqi policemen.

Since the fall of Fallujah, previously his base, he is thought to have been operating from Mosul in northern Iraq. Iraqi police in nearby Kirkuk recently said they were on his trail.

The vast Iraqi province of Anbar, which stretches to the Syrian, Jordanian and Saudi Arabian borders, has been a hotbed of the Sunni Muslim-led insurgency over the past 18 months. It had one of the lowest voting turnouts in the country's recent elections.

US and Iraqi forces are currently engaged in a security sweep in the province, moving along the Euphrates river valley towards Syria in search of insurgents. Anah is one of those valley towns.

"Abu Qutaybah was a known associate of other detained Zarqawi lieutenants including Abu Abdul Rahman, Abu Ahmed and Abu Ali, who were captured by coalition forces," the Iraqi government said.

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