Raid on 'al-Qaida safe house' kills six

US troops killed six people today during a raid on a possible safe house for al-Qaida in Iraq, the military said, while the death toll of American service members in Iraq rose above 3,000.

The attack occurred near the west Baghdad offices of Saleh al-Mutlaq, a senior Sunni Arab politician of the National Dialogue Front, the US military and Iraqi police said.

American troops received heavy gunfire and grenade launches from the building, the military said.

Police said the home of Salama al-Khafaji, a former Shiite lawmaker who abandoned her residence after an assassination attempt last year, was also targeted.

The US military said ground forces raided the buildings after learning that the location was a possible safe house for al-Qaida in Iraq. Six people were killed and one person was detained, the military said.

But police described the incident as an air-strike that killed four members of a family and wounded a guard outside al-Khafaji’s house. A man at the scene said a guard at al-Mutlaq’s office was also killed, but police could not confirm his account.

An AP Television News video showed rubble in the area and what appeared to be a long smear of blood from a body dragged across the floor. Walls in the buildings were pitted with marks, apparently from bullets and shrapnel.

Meanwhile, the US military announced the deaths of two more soldiers, raising the number of Americans killed above the milestone of 3,000.

The White House said President Bush mourned each death but would not issue a statement about the 3,000th.

At least 111 US service members have been reported killed in December, the bloodiest month of 2006. This brings the toll of US military deaths in Iraq to at least 820 in 2006.

One soldier was killed on Saturday in a roadside bombing in the capital, the military said.

There was a relative lull in the bombings and assassinations that have threatened to rip Iraq apart along sectarian seams.

Police reported finding 12 bodies dumped in Baghdad on Sunday as well as 12 other violent deaths nationwide, both relatively low numbers by recent standards.

Also yesterday, Saddam Hussein was buried in the town where he was born. One day after being executed, the deposed Iraqi leader’s body was taken to a US military base in Tikrit, 80 miles north of the capital.

He was interred in the nearby village of Ouja, where he was born 69 years ago.

Hundreds of clan members and supporters visited Saddam’s grave, which is likely to become a shrine to the fallen leader. Dozens of relatives and other mourners, some of them crying and moaning, attended Saddam’s funeral shortly before dawn.

In his new-year greeting, Bush noted the continuing violence in Iraq.

“Last year, America continued its mission to fight and win the war on terror and promote liberty as an alternative to tyranny and despair,” Bush said in the statement wishing Americans a happy new year.

“In the new year, we will remain on the offensive against the enemies of freedom, advance the security of our country and work toward a free and unified Iraq.

"Defeating terrorists and extremists is the challenge of our time and we will answer history’s call with confidence and fight for liberty without wavering.”

A message attributed to deputy al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri congratulated Islamic holy warriors around the world on the feast of Eid al-Adha and on “the defeat of the Americans and their crusader allies in Afghanistan and Iraq”.

The message could not immediately be authenticated, but it appeared on two Islamic websites known for publishing militant material.