BAGHDAD – U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by attack aircraft killed 14 suspected Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents and detained 17 others Saturday in raids targeting senior leaders of the terror network, the military said.
Nine were killed in an airstrike near Beiji, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, after ground forces spotted them moving into an attack position, the military said in a statement, adding that one suspect was detained in the operation.
U.S.-led troops near Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, killed four armed men after coming under fire with small arms and grenades as they approached a targeted building, the military said. Ground forces also detained two suspects and called in an airstrike to destroy two buildings being used as hide-outs, according to the statement.
Another insurgent was killed after firing at U.S.-led troops as they raided insurgent networks that were smuggling in foreign fighters and distributing mortars and roadside bombs for Al-Qaeda in northern Iraq, the military said. Six suspects were reported detained in the operation in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
Coalition forces south of Baghdad also captured six suspected aides to Al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders operating west of the capital, the military said. Two other suspected insurgents, including one wanted for his involvement in a car bombing network, were captured in separate operations around Baghdad, the statement said.
Separately, the military said U.S. and Iraqi troops detained a suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq fighter and seized more than 170,000 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition Tuesday near Rawah, 275 kilometers (175 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
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