By Xinhua
Baghdad : At least five Iraqi soldiers were killed and two wounded when an explosives-rigged house blew up during a clearing operation in a village in Diyala province in north Iraq, the US military said Saturday.
Joint US and Iraqi forces raided Thursday the village of Abu Tamur, 65 km northeast of Baghdad, believed to be a safe haven for Al Qaeda insurgents.
The five Iraqi soldiers were killed and two wounded while they were clearing the improvised explosive device in the house, which detonated during the operation.
A US soldier was also injured in small arms fire, prompting the troops to return fire and kill a suspected militant, it said.
The operation resulted in the detention of nine suspected Al Qaeda militants and the discovery of a weapons cache.