?Iraqi security forces captured the leader of al-Qaida militants in the city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, a local police source said on Wednesday.

Ja'afar Meshrif al-Ghrairi, the al-Qaida leader of Fallujah, was arrested when Iraqi security forces carried out an operation on Tuesday in the city, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Based on intelligence reports, the troops captured Ghrairi for his involvement in crimes and attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces, the source said.

The troops also seized a large cache of weapons and explosives, including several explosive belts, the source added.

The captured militant is a leading member of the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq, which is an al-Qaida-led umbrella organization of Sunni militants groups.

Fallujah is part of Anbar province which has been relatively calm for about three years after Sunni tribes and anti-U.S. insurgent groups turned to cooperate with the U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces against al-Qaida in Iraq network after the latter exercised indiscriminate killings against both Shiite and Sunni Muslim communities.