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| Iraq |
| US says 7 militants killed in Iraq raids |
| 2008-02-15 |
| Raids on al-Qaida forces in northern Iraq have left seven insurgents dead, the U.S. military said. But local police said Friday that two women and two U.S.-allied fighters were among those killed. It mayb be they're both right. The U.S. military said in a statement that one target of the raids late Wednesday and early Thursday was an alleged al-Qaida leader in the Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad. It wasn't clear if he was killed or captured. According to the military account released Thursday, troops killed two insurgents during a gunbattle in one area, then called in air support, which killed another four fighters. One civilian was wounded and evacuated for further care, while troops detained 15 suspected insurgents. All those killed were "terrorists associated" with al-Qaida in Iraq, said Lt. Michael Street, a military spokesman. An Iraqi police officer in the area, however, said a house that was bombed belonged to a Sunni Arab and tribal leader, and that six family members died. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said the bombing occurred about 33 miles southwest of Kirkuk and two of the victims were women. Another two of those killed, he said, were part of an Awakening Council, one of the Sunni groups that last year abandoned their support for al-Qaida and began joining the U.S. in its effort to clear out insurgent forces. Separately, in an operation Wednesday in southeast Mosul, the U.S. military said it killed an insurgent wearing a suicide belt who shot at troops as they were targeting the building of an alleged al-Qaida supporter. |
| Posted by:gorb |