US forces kill 11 suspected insurgents
BAGHDAD (AP) - March 6, 2008 The Tal Afar Special Weapons and Tactics team, made up of U.S.
forces and Iraqi SWAT teams, on Sunday targeted a cell responsible
for assassinations and bombing attacks in the Tal Afar area in
Iraq's Ninevah province, the military said in a statement.
During the raid, several fighters opened fire on the Iraqi and
U.S. troops, killing the three Iraqi soldiers and wounding three
others.
The U.S.-Iraqi team killed nine suspected insurgents. Three
Iraqi civilians were wounded and treated at the scene and eight
suspected cell members were detained for questioning, including two
who were wounded and evacuated to a military hospital for
treatment, the military said.
During the operation, the team found bomb-making materials, a
rocket-propelled grenade launcher, rifles, grenades, a landmine and
ammunition, according to the statement.
The Americans and their Iraqi allies are pushing to take control
of the Ninevah region, where insurgent fighters are making a stand
after their influence diminished in Baghdad and other areas last
year. Tal Afar is located about 260 miles northwest of Baghdad.
In another operation, U.S. soldiers shot and killed a man who
drew a pistol on them and then tried to detonate a bomb-laden
suicide vest. Three suspected al-Qaida members were also detained
during the operation near the central city of Samarra, 60 miles
north of Baghdad.
Another al-Qaida suspect who was also killed near Samarra was
allegedly involved in racketeering and embezzlement to fund the
extremist organization.
