US forces kill 17 Iraqi al-Qaeda gunmen
18 more militants detained
Afp, Ap, Baghdad
US helicopters armed with missiles killed 17 suspected al-Qaeda gunmen in the province of Diyala yesterday where thousands of troops have launched a crackdown on the terror group, the military said. It said the assault took place when US helicopters observed 15 armed men trying to enter the town of Khalis by circumventing Iraqi police. "The attack helicopters, armed with missiles, engaged and killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen and destroyed the vehicle they were using," the military told AFP. The attack took place southwest of Khalis. Some 10,000 US and Iraqi troops backed by helicopters and armoured vehicles have launched a massive assault on Al-Qaeda strongholds in Diyala, one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq after Baghdad. Earlier US soldiers detained 18 suspected militants in raids targeting roadside bomb networks in the Baghdad area, a day after 14 more American troops were reported killed, most in powerful explosions that struck their armoured vehicles. Iraqis also faced more violence on Friday, the Islamic day of rest. A suicide attacker wearing an explosives vest struck a police patrol in Fallujah, killing two officers and wounding three others, along with six civilians. The explosion occurred about 11:20 a.m. near a bridge in central Fallujah, a police captain said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he feared retribution.
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