The Hindu : International : U.S. troops kill 25 Iraqi fighters

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Friday, Jul 23, 2004

International

International

U.S. troops kill 25 Iraqi fighters

BAGHDAD, JULY 22. United States Marines killed 25 resistance fighters and captured 25 others in a fierce battle on Wednesday in Ramadi, a hotbed of militants battling U.S. and Iraqi forces, the military said on Thursday.

The day-long clashes in Ramadi, 112 km west of Baghdad, wounded 14 U.S. servicemen, but none sustained life-threatening injuries and 10 have returned to duties. Seventeen militants were also injured, according to a U.S. Marines statement.

On Thursday, Iraqi police and intelligence forces raided several buildings in downtown Baghdad's Haifa Street, the scene of clashes earlier this month that killed four Iraqis and injured 20.

270 arrested

The Interior Ministry official, Sabah Khadum, said Iraqi police and intelligence forces arrested more than 270 persons, including several ``non-Iraqi Arabs,'' during the Haifa Street operation and discovered a huge cache of weapons. U.S. and Iraqi officials have long complained of fighters entering Iraq from neighbouring countries to battle coalition forces.

An unidentified official at a Baghdad hospital said a police officer and another Iraqi were wounded during the clashes.

The Marines said the fighting in Ramadi began after guerillas detonated a roadside bomb near a Marine convoy in an ambush attempt. Between eight and 10 Iraqi fighters then attacked the Marines with small arms and rocket propelled grenades, causing the U.S. forces to respond.

Backed by support from U.S. warplanes, the American ground forces clashed with the guerillas for hours, during which the Marines also detonated two homemade bombs, including one placed in a car.

A Marines spokesman said the situation in Ramadi was ``relatively quiet'' on Thursday. — AP

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