By Xinhua
Baghdad : US and Iraqi forces, backed by helicopters, fought suspected Al Qaeda militants during a raid outside the city of Samarra north of Baghdad, killing 12 militants, US military said Monday.
US and Iraqi forces returned fire after militants attacked them, while AH-64 helicopters provided direct air support, killing a total of 12 insurgents, the statement by the US military said.
The troops also detained three suspects and a fourth individual was identified as a hostage being held to ransom by the insurgents, it said.
Samarra, some 120 km north of Baghdad, is part of Salahudin province, a Sunni insurgent stronghold, which has been the hot bed of insurgency against the US and Iraqi government forces since the breakout of the Iraq war in 2003.