U.S., Iraqi forces kill 100 insurgents in north of Baghdad offensive

U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted a nine-day operation in an area north of Baghdad, killing up to 100 insurgents, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army, together with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division fought a known " terrorist group" which has targeted families and tribes with violence throughout the region, the military said in a statement.

The group, made up of former Ba'ath party members, al-Qaida and Sunni extremists, is accused of killing 39 civilians in one kidnapping and mass murder in November last year, the statement quoted Col. David W. Sutherland, a senior U.S. Army officer in the Diyala province as saying.

"More than 50 of the terrorists, responsible for the November murder of 39 civilians, were captured during the recent operations, " he said.

During the operation, which began early this month, the joint troops "unearthed numerous weapons caches and killed approximately 100 terrorists throughout the Turki Village area," Sutherland said.

In s separate operation, U.S troops detained 12 suspected insurgents during a security operation in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, the military said in another statement.

The U.S. soldiers seized the suspects as part of "Operation Amherst", which aimed at assisting Iraqi security forces establish security in Baghdad, the statement said.

Source: Xinhua