Iraq's Interior Ministry said on Monday that police have arrested the top al Qaida in Iraq figure in the northern city of Mosul, scene of an intensified crackdown on the terror network.

Major General Ahmed Taha said Abdul-Khaliq al-Sabawi, the al Qaida wali of Mosul, was arrested on Monday in Salahuddin province, which neighbors Mosul's Nineveh province to the south.

Wali is an Arabic word meaning governor and is used by al Qaida in Iraq to refer to its regional leaders.

US-backed Iraqi security forces have been carrying out a major sweep of Mosul and nearby regions to root out al Qaida in Iraq fighters.