Ground forces reportedly approached a target building said to be occupied by al-Qaida in Iraq members where occupants refused to come out. Two suspects were killed in a subsequent firefight and two others were wounded.

Meanwhile, the capture of nearly two dozen suspects occurred in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul.

A coalition operation in northwest Iraq netted three suspected terrorists, including an individual who allegedly helps move al-Qaida foreign terrorist fighters into Iraq, a U.S. military statement said.