Elite Iraqi troops storm governor's office in Diyala

Separately, special forces launched an assault on the house of the dean of Diyala University, Nazar Jabbar Khafaji, and led him away, said his driver, Ismael Ibrahim. The soldiers confiscated computers, two guns and $5,000, he said.

The surprise raid on the Baqubah governorate building came amid an Iraqi security crackdown in Diyala province that has targeted Al Qaeda in Iraq. The region, with its mosaic of Kurds and Shiite and Sunni Arabs, continues to be one of the more volatile in Iraq. It is strategically important because it borders Baghdad.

The Iraqi Accordance Front, the main Sunni bloc in parliament, condemned the raid and demanded to know who ordered the arrests.

"Some said they are connected with the prime minister. . . . Others said they are connected with higher authorities," said the bloc's spokesman, Selim Abdullah.

In southern Iraq Tuesday, a rocket attack killed a U.S. soldier in Amarah, where Iraqi troops were waging a campaign.

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ned.parker@latimes.com

Times staff writer Saif Hameed and a correspondent in Diyala contributed to this report.