US and Iraqi forces killed 11 suspected militants and captured 64 others in two days of raids across central and northern Iraq, officials yesterday. Iraqi troops killed eight suspects and arrested 28 overnight in Salman Pak, about 25 kilometers south of Baghdad, Iraqi police said. They also seized weapons, explosives and some vehicles in the raid, including a Humvee that was apparently stolen from the Iraqi army, police said.Meanwhile, US forces killed three suspects and detained 36 others in operations targeting Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the military said yesterday in a statement. One of those killed was an Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader involved in car bombings in western Baghdad, the military said. He was killed Saturday by US troops who were working in support of Iraqi soldiers, it said. The military did not identify him.
Near Hawijah, 240 kilometers north of Baghdad, US troops launched a raid Sunday targeting an alleged Al-Qaeda in Iraq member responsible for financing terrorist attacks in Kirkuk, the statement said. As American soldiers approached a building where the man was believed to be hiding, they came under enemy fire and responded, killing two suspects and wounding another, the military said. The wounded man was treated on site and then arrested, it said. US troops then destroyed the building. The statement did not say whether the Al-Qaeda suspect was one of those killed.
Also yesterday, US soldiers detained 24 suspects in a raid against Al-Qaeda in Iraq media and propaganda operations, the military said. Another four men were captured separately nearby, it said. Another seven suspected militants were detained during operations yesterday in Mosul, the statement added.