Updated

U.S. soldiers have detained 14 Iraqis suspected of making deadly car bombs and leading insurgent cells in northern Iraq (search), the military said Monday.

Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division detained 12 individuals during raids on five houses at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday south of Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad (search).

"The raid was conducted to kill or capture members of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device cell," the military said in a statement.

Roadside bombs, particularly explosives-rigged vehicles, have been regularly used to deadly effect by insurgents against U.S.-led forces in Iraq.

Later Sunday, soldiers raided a home in the town of Ouja, just south of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's (search) hometown about 100 miles north of Baghdad, and detained a suspected militant cell leader.

Shortly afterward, another raid was conducted in Tikrit, resulting in the detention of a second suspected insurgent cell leader.

The 14 Iraqis were taken to U.S. military facilities for questioning.