At least 12 killed, 15 wounded, al-Qaeda suspects detained in Iraq

Jan 17, 2008, 10:30 GMT

Baghdad - At least 12 people were killed and 15 wounded, including US soldiers, in separate attacks in Iraq, while dozens of suspects from the al-Qaeda terrorist network were detained, Iraqi and US officials said Thursday.

In one incident, six suspects of al-Qaeda were killed and 13 were injured during a joint US-Iraqi operation in northern Baghdad, security sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

'Iraqi forces along with elements of the Awakening Council, supported by US helicopters, have raided the Bishkan area, one of the major hideouts of al-Qaeda, killing six and wounding 13 terrorist suspects,' an Iraqi official told dpa, referring to forces recruited by the US military to work against al-Qaeda and other militias.

'Dozens were also arrested,' he added.

In Muqdadiyah city, some 100 kilometres north-east of Iraq's capital, US forces have killed three suspects and arrested another four during an operation targeting al-Qaeda, according to a US military statement

Separately, the US military announced that three soldiers were killed and two others wounded Wednesday during a military operation in the northern Salah al-Din province.