U.S. and Iraqi troops kill 15 gunmen in big battle

U.S. and Iraqi troops kill 15 gunmen in big battle

By Missy Ryan

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi troops killed an estimated 15 al Qaeda gunmen during a fierce battle south of Baghdad after the militants launched a major attack on recently formed neighborhood patrols, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the military said 30 to 45 al Qaeda fighters assaulted two checkpoints operated by local security guards on Monday using a mix of small arms and heavy-caliber machineguns mounted on trucks, sparking a day-long fight.

At one stage, American F-16 warplanes jets dropped two 500-pound bombs on routes used by the gunmen to attack the checkpoints in the town of Adwaniya, 20 km (12 miles) southeast of Baghdad near the Tigris River. The area has long been a haven for al Qaeda in Iraq.

The al Qaeda raid marked one of the biggest attacks on neighborhood patrols since a program to increase their numbers picked up steam in and around Baghdad a few months ago.

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