U.S. forces detained a key Iraqi tribal leader and two family members during an early morning raid Saturday in Baghdad, his family said. Sheikh Hisham al-Duleimi, along with his son and his brother in law, were arrested at their home, according to the sheik'hs brother Samer al-Duleimi. The U.S. military had no immediate comment. The U.S. soldiers confiscated the weapons of the sheikh's guards before entering the house and searched it "in a rude manner," Samer al-Duleimi said. "We do not know why he was arrested. Sheikh Hisham was only helping ensure the release of Iraqi and foreign prisoners. He has contacts with the Americans and he has done no harm to anybody," he said. Al-Duleimi is an influential Sunni tribal leader who has helped negotiate the release of several foreign hostages, including truck drivers from India, Kenya, and Egypt.
