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| Iraq 'al-Qaeda militants' killed | Iraq 'al-Qaeda militants' killed |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The US military says it has killed 20 suspected al-Qaeda militants in a ground and air assault in central Iraq. | The US military says it has killed 20 suspected al-Qaeda militants in a ground and air assault in central Iraq. |
| The air strike was ordered after troops came under fire in the Thar Thar area, north of Baghdad, a statement said. | The air strike was ordered after troops came under fire in the Thar Thar area, north of Baghdad, a statement said. |
| Local officials say more than two dozen civilians - including women and children - were killed in the strike. | |
| Elsewhere, more than 1,000 Danish and UK troops stormed homes in Basra, in a raid the UK military described as the biggest of its kind in southern Iraq. | Elsewhere, more than 1,000 Danish and UK troops stormed homes in Basra, in a raid the UK military described as the biggest of its kind in southern Iraq. |
| The US military also confirmed that a US soldier died in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad on Thursday. | The US military also confirmed that a US soldier died in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad on Thursday. |
| Women killed | Women killed |
| The US military said its operation, in the Thar Thar area of Salahuddin province, had been based on intelligence reports indicating people with links to al-Qaeda in Iraq were working in the area. | The US military said its operation, in the Thar Thar area of Salahuddin province, had been based on intelligence reports indicating people with links to al-Qaeda in Iraq were working in the area. |
| Ground forces were searching a cluster of buildings when they were targeted with machine gun fire, the military said in a statement. | Ground forces were searching a cluster of buildings when they were targeted with machine gun fire, the military said in a statement. |
| The troops returned fire and killed two suspected insurgents, the military said, but continued to come under fire. | The troops returned fire and killed two suspected insurgents, the military said, but continued to come under fire. |
| The air strike was then ordered, in which another 18 suspected militants died. Among them were two women. | The air strike was then ordered, in which another 18 suspected militants died. Among them were two women. |
| On searching the site, US troops found a weapons cache containing "machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-personnel mines, explosives, blasting caps and suicide vests", the statement said. | On searching the site, US troops found a weapons cache containing "machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-personnel mines, explosives, blasting caps and suicide vests", the statement said. |
| Amer Alwan, mayor of the Ishaqi district east of Lake Thar Thar, told reporters that US aircraft had bombed two houses, killing 32 people, most of them women and children. | Amer Alwan, mayor of the Ishaqi district east of Lake Thar Thar, told reporters that US aircraft had bombed two houses, killing 32 people, most of them women and children. |
| Local police also confirmed the deaths of civilians but the number was uncertain. | Local police also confirmed the deaths of civilians but the number was uncertain. |
| 'Rogue elements' | 'Rogue elements' |
| The joint British and Danish operation led to the arrest of five Iraqis in the Hartha district of the city of Basra. | The joint British and Danish operation led to the arrest of five Iraqis in the Hartha district of the city of Basra. |
| This was the largest operation of its kind that we have conducted since the invasion Major Charlie Burbridge | This was the largest operation of its kind that we have conducted since the invasion Major Charlie Burbridge |
| Backed up by tanks, boats and helicopters, the forces targeted several addresses north of the city at 0300 local time. | Backed up by tanks, boats and helicopters, the forces targeted several addresses north of the city at 0300 local time. |
| Major Charlie Burbridge, a British spokesman for the coalition forces, said the men detained "were strongly linked with various criminal activities: kidnapping, murder and attacks on multinational forces". | Major Charlie Burbridge, a British spokesman for the coalition forces, said the men detained "were strongly linked with various criminal activities: kidnapping, murder and attacks on multinational forces". |
| He described them as "five leaders of rogue elements of militias operating in Basra". | He described them as "five leaders of rogue elements of militias operating in Basra". |
| There were no coalition casualties and no evidence that civilians had been hurt, Maj Burbridge said. It is not yet clear whether any suspected militants were injured in the raids. | There were no coalition casualties and no evidence that civilians had been hurt, Maj Burbridge said. It is not yet clear whether any suspected militants were injured in the raids. |
| Weapons were found in the properties, including artillery shells already wired up for use as roadside bombs, he added. | Weapons were found in the properties, including artillery shells already wired up for use as roadside bombs, he added. |
| He said: "This was the largest operation of its kind that we have conducted since the invasion. By that I mean the number of soldiers involved and the complexity of the operation." | He said: "This was the largest operation of its kind that we have conducted since the invasion. By that I mean the number of soldiers involved and the complexity of the operation." |
| Three-quarters of the troops involved were British, drawn mainly from 19 Light Brigade. | Three-quarters of the troops involved were British, drawn mainly from 19 Light Brigade. |
| The troops came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire as they carried out the raid, Maj Burbridge said. | The troops came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire as they carried out the raid, Maj Burbridge said. |
| A local spokesman for radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr's movement warned of reprisals following the operation, the AFP news agency reports. | A local spokesman for radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr's movement warned of reprisals following the operation, the AFP news agency reports. |
| The UK has 7,200 troops in the south of Iraq, mostly stationed in and around Basra. | The UK has 7,200 troops in the south of Iraq, mostly stationed in and around Basra. |