U.S. operation kills al-Qaida suspects

BAGHDAD, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials say several suspected al-Qaida militants were killed in Iraq during an operation west of Abu Ghraib.

Three militants were killed and nine suspects were detained during operations to disrupt al-Qaida networks in central and northern Iraq Wednesday, the American Forces Press Service reported.

Intelligence reports concerning the possibility of foreign terrorists in the region led coalition forces to engage a group of suspects who officials say did not comply with instructions. The men, who were armed, continued maneuvering toward coalition troops, which led to small-arms fire and the killing of three suspects. Coalition forces also detained two suspects.

“Foreign terrorists are responsible for more than 90 percent of suicide bombings in Iraq, and we are relentlessly targeting al-Qaida’s foreign terrorist networks,” Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multi-National Force Iraq spokesman, said in a statement. “Increasingly, Iraqi citizens are helping us find these networks and Iraqi security forces are taking the lead in dismantling them.”

Additionally, coalition forces recently discovered a weapons cache and an alleged detention facility while targeting al-Qaida networks south of Samara. Officials called in air support and two terrorists were killed. Coalition forces then discovered a bunker allegedly used as a terrorist detention facility along with a small cache of weapons.

“Across Iraq, citizens are rejecting al-Qaida’s barbaric detention facilities, torture houses and atrocities,” Danielson said. “We will continue to work with Iraqi citizens and their security forces to neutralize al-Qaida and the extremist vision they have for Iraq.”