The northern town of Tal Afar was on edge yesterday after doctors said at least seven civilians were killed during an operation by Iraqi and US troops against insurgents there. A further 13 have been wounded in Tal Afar, a hospital source told Reuters; the US military said one US soldier died when his vehicle was struck by a bomb there on Monday.Iraqi police and troops backed by US forces launched the operation some days ago in Tal Afar, which they say is a conduit for foreign fighters slipping into the country. Iraqi forces have now begun evacuating the town's central Saray district. "Around 100 families have been evacuated in the last few days," an Iraqi army captain told Reuters. Television footage showed Iraqi soldiers bursting into houses in Tal Afar searching for weapons, pictures of captured former president Saddam Hussein and video cassettes before leading suspects away.