U.S. forces arrested one of the wives and a daughter of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, No. 6 on the coalition's list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis and believed to be key in the masterminding and financing of the anti-coalition insurgency, a U.S. military officaial said Wednesday.

Al-Douri's wife and daughter, whose names were not immediately available, were apprehended Tuesday during a raid in Samarra, 70 miles north of Baghdad, according to Lt. Col. William MacDonald, spokesman of the 4th Infantry Division.

The two women were taken into coalition custody, along with the son of al-Duri's physician, after a raid Tuesday morning near Samarra, about 75 miles (120 km) north of Baghdad, according to Lt. Col. Bill McDonald, spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit.

All three are being held at a undisclosed location for questioning, McDonald said.

The U.S. military identified al-Duri's wife as Janar Majid Khalil Ibrahim and his daughter only as "Alba." A military official identified the son of al-Duri's doctor as Adel Al Juraysi, the son of "Dr. Sami."

There was no indication of al-Duri in the vicinity of the building where his wife and daughter were captured, McDonald said.

A U.S. military source said all three were captured at a farm in Abu Delaf just outside Samarra as U.S. troops were searching about 10 buildings there.

The military official said between 150 to 200 people took part in a "non-violent protest" after the three were detained. The protesters reportedly said the three had nothing to do with al-Duri.

Iraqi police helped break up the demonstration, which ended peacefully, the official said.

Last week, the military intensified its efforts to capture or kill al-Duri, 61, the former vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, according to coalition deputy chief of operations Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt.

He is reportedly in failing health.

The coalition also announced last Wednesday a $10 million reward for the capture of al-Duri, dead or alive. This makes him the second most wanted member of the Saddam Hussein regime after the former Iraqi leader, who carries a $25 million reward.

U.S. forces fired howitzers and a precision laser-guided missile on November 17 to destroy an abandoned palace north of Tikrit owned by al-Duri.

Early Wednesday, elements of the 82nd Airborne Division raided a house and captured four people, including Brig. Gen. Khalid Arak Hatimy, a former Saddam bodyguard, U.S. Central Command said.

Three improvised explosive devices were discovered and disarmed during the operations, in which a Central Command statement said "one enemy was killed, one wounded, and 24 captured."

Straw: Britons 'here for better future'

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Wednesday that British troops "are here for the long-term to see Iraq through to a better future."

Straw met with members of the Iraqi Governing Council in Baghdad and said the council was "looking forward to the transition (of power) by the end of June of next year"

"I can't give a date for a full withdrawal by British troops. what I can say is that we, and I'm sure I speak for the Americans and the other coalition forces, will stay as long as the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people want us to stay and there is a job for us to do. As British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said on many occasions, we are here for the long-term to see Iraq through to a better future."

Warning sirens went off in Baghdad Tuesday night and loudspeakers announced an attack was under way and warned people to seek shelter.

At least two explosions took place not far from where the U.S.-led coalition is stationed.

Straw told reporters he did not feel any of the explosions where he was staying in Baghdad but said security issues in Iraq are a top priority.

"Everybody understands that there are security problems, and I for one have never sought to underestimate those," he told reporters during a news conference. "But what I'm told and I believe is that life for a very large number of people in Iraq is considerably better in terms of their living standards and would be infinitely better when we can get on top of the security situation."

Cooperative Iraqis coming under increasing attacks

Straw, speaking Wednesday in Baghdad, said British troops "are here for the long-term to see Iraq through to a better future."

Insurgent attacks against coalition forces have dropped, while those against Iraqis working with the U.S.-led coalition are on the rise, U.S. civilian and military officials said.

Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command, said the number of daily attacks on coalition forces was down by about half during the past two weeks but did not go into specifics. Officials have said U.S. soldiers were being attacked an average of 30-35 times daily.

"The attacks against coalition forces have definitely gone down. Our attacks against the enemy have gone up. Attacks against civilians over time has gone up," Abizaid said.

L. Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq, agreed the security situation has changed. "Terrorist attacks against Iraqis are occurring regularly. This is a repugnant but not unexpected tactic.

"They have failed to intimidate the coalition. The have now begun a pattern of terrorizing innocent Iraqis in an effort to drive them away from the goal they share with the coalition, a democratic and peaceful Iraq. They will not succeed," he said.

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