US troops launched a military operation in northwestern Iraq near borders with Syria, killing 75 insurgents, including foreign fighters, the military said Monday.

The region, in an open desert north of the Euphrates River, is served as a smuggling route and sanctuary for foreign fighters, the military said in a brief statement.

The US military did not say when the offensive began or whether there were any US casualties.

On Sunday, the US military said six insurgents were killed and 54 others detained in a raid on the al-Qaida terror network in the Iraqi town of Qaim, also near the Syrian border.

Source: Xinhua