Iraqi forces call in airstrike, 60 killed

BAGHDAD, March 27 (UPI) -- Iraqi units arrested several militants, including a suspected arms dealer, and called in airstrikes against insurgents in Hillah, south of Baghdad, killing 60.

In arrests in western Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers captured two suspected criminals and uncovered a weapons cache of several assault rifles, explosively formed penetrators and rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. military said in a news release.

In separate operations in Baghdad, Iraqi forces arrested an alleged al-Qaida member thought to be coordinating a network of suicide bombers.

In Hillah, located about 60 miles south of Baghdad, Iraqi forces responded to what the U.S. military said was "a military-style force" armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.

The Iraqi forces responded to the attacks, engaging the insurgents for several hours and forcing their retreat into a nearby mosque.

Sources for the Iraqi military said the Iraqi security forces called in air support from the U.S. military, which responded with helicopter gunships, killing more than 60 militants, Voices of Iraq reported.

VOI noted Hillah has seen frequent clashes between Iraqi national security forces and "security forces and fighters of the Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr's militia."

Meanwhile, in Basra, the U.S. military reported Iraqi security forces captured a suspect believed to be a major arms dealer in the area, smuggling "massive amounts of weapons" for forces battling Iraqi and U.S.-led forces.