100 suspected insurgents arrested in Iraq

Some 100 suspected insurgents, including foreign fighters, were detained Monday in the latest US- Iraqi joint offensive southwest of Baghdad, the US military said.

Up to 600 Iraqi soldiers and 250 US soldiers launched Operation Muthana Strike early Monday, which lasted a few hours and targeted insurgents' hideouts in the neighborhood west of Baghdad International Airport, the military said in a statement.

Based on tips from local residents, the operation resulted in arresting 100 of suspects, including Egyptians and seizing illegal weapons, it added.

Operation Muthana Strike is the fifth offensive launched by the US and Iraqi forces west of Baghdad and in the western Anbar province in the past two months in a bid to curb rampant violence that have killed over 1,400 people since the formation of a Shiite- led government in late April.

Source: Xinhua