Five al-Qaida militants killed, 14 held

MUQDADIYAH, Iraq, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Operations led by coalition forces targeting al-Qaida in Iraq Friday resulted in the death of five suspected terrorist and the apprehension of 14 militants.

Officials say troops operating on intelligence in the northeast region of the Diyala River Valley north of Muqdadiyah, Iraq, killed four terrorist operatives and detained six suspects while targeting an al-Qaida network, the American Press Forces Press reported

Coalition forces killed a suspected terrorist and detained one person during a raid on a suspected al-Qaida leader involved in gun-running and militant attacks. Officials say the raid occurred near Salman Pak, Iraq, in the Arab Jabour region.

Coalition forces near Samarra and Baghdad also detained seven more suspected terrorists.

"These operations are examples of our continued success against al-Qaida," Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman, said in a statement. "Iraqi and coalition forces are disrupting their operations and diminishing their pool of manpower, but they still pose a threat to innocent Iraqis."