Coalition forces say 23 insurgents killed

BAGHDAD, April 21 (UPI) -- Coalition soldiers in Iraq killed 23 insurgents and captured 42 more in the four days ending Monday, a U.S. military spokesman said.

Among those captured was a suspected Iranian-trained special groups commander and three others described by the military as suspected criminals in the Kadamiyah district of Baghdad, the Armed Forces Press Service said.

"Iraqi security and coalition force soldiers are targeting criminals who violate the Iraqi rule of law," said U.S. Army Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff for Multinational Division Baghdad.

Meanwhile, three police officers and three Mehdi Army militiamen were killed in battles south of Baghdad, an Iraqi official said. And at least four people were injured in the Iraqi capital when bombs landed near the prime minister's headquarters, CNN reported.

Also, the U.S. military launched unmanned aerial drones to find and destroy five "Iranian-supported Special Group criminals," the military said. The maneuver is part of the military's efforts to stop rocket attacks by Shiite fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City.

.