US troops attack insurgent stronghold

US forces along the Euphrates River attacked the insurgent stronghold of Haditha early yesterday, capturing a militant with ties to al-Qaida in Iraq and killing four others, the military said.

The assault on Haditha followed a recent offensive to retake Tal Afar which US commanders said netted more than 400 suspected militants. The Iraqi military said its troops had detained 36 others.

In southern Iraq, a roadside bomb exploded near a convoy of Iraqi security guards and foreign contract workers outside Basra, killing four people, police said. While one Iraqi official said the four dead were Americans, US officials were unable to confirm the report. President Jalal Talabani meanwhile, said in Washington that Iraq will not set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops.