The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces destroyed a weapons cache and detained seven suspected terrorists in a series of raids Friday morning targeting the al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist network.
A statement said the raids were carried out in Baghdad, near Taji, just north of the capital, and in the northern city Mosul.
On Thursday, an explosion in Baghdad sent visiting U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ducking for cover. The blast, which is believed to have been caused by a rocket, occurred while Mr. Ban was holding a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
No one was hurt, and the news conference continued.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council condemned the incident as an "abhorrent terrorist attack." U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe said the U.N. mission in Iraq is investigating the incident.
Moments before the blast, Mr. Ban said he would reconsider expanding the U.N. presence in Iraq once the security situation has visibly improved.
Also on Thursday, the U.S. military said coalition forces in Basra and Hillah have captured members of the Khazali network that it said was directly connected to the killing of five American troops in Karbala in January.
