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48 insurgents killed in Iraq
13/10/2007 21:01 - (SA)
Baghdad - Iraqi forces clashed with suspected al-Qaeda-linked insurgents during a four-day operation in a Sunni enclave in central Baghdad and 48 gunmen were killed in the fighting, a spokesperson said on Saturday.
The Iraqi army was supported by local Sunni tribal members and other armed civilians who have turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq in the volatile Fadhil neighbourhood, according to Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, the military spokesperson for Baghdad.
The military was acting on intelligence when it launched the raids against the terror network in the area.
"We managed during the past four days to put the area under siege, to kill 48 terrorists from al-Qaeda and to force the others to flee," he said in a telephone interview, adding the slain militants had been buried in a nearby cemetery. Helicopters, heavy gunfire
Al-Moussawi said the area was now stable and local mosques were broadcasting messages saying "God is Great" or "Allahu Akbar" in gratitude.
The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the clashes, but American helicopters have been buzzing over the area in recent days and heavy gunfire could be heard.
Fadhil, one of Baghdad's oldest and poorest areas, is ridden with Sunni insurgents and common criminals and its narrow streets and alleys have been the site of frequent clashes.
A helicopter owned by the private security company Blackwater USA crashed in heavy gunfire in the area on January 23, killing four civilian contractors. A fifth contractor in a second helicopter died of gunshot wounds.
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