AP via boston.com: U.S. troops shut down a major bomb factory near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit on Sunday and arrested two people in connection with bombing activities here, a U.S. Army commander said.

In a raid on a village north of Tikrit, troops from the 4th Infantry Division seized C-4 plastic explosives, plastic caps, detonation switches and fragmentation shrapnel used in bombs, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell, commander of the 4th Infantry's 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment.

''We definitely shut down a major operational and bombing site,'' Russell told The Associated Press. ''There are still individuals we are looking for.''