Iraqi forces battle gunmen in central Baghdad

Iraqi soldiers backed by US troops battled with gunmen in central Baghdad this morning and explosions were heard in the area, police and witnesses said.

Police said the clashes erupted when gunmen attacked Iraqi army checkpoints in the Haifa Street area and that Iraqi soldiers appealed to the US military for help.

American forces sealed off roads and joined Iraqi troops in raiding houses in pursuit of the gunmen, police said.

The US military said its troops “continue to conduct clearing operations in Baghdad and throughout Iraq”, and that it would release more information on the Haifa Street clashes later.

The area is a Sunni insurgent stronghold in the centre of the Iraqi capital, just to the north of the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the US and British embassies as well as many Iraqi government offices.

Fighting broke out there on Saturday evening and the Iraqi army reported killing 30 militants that night, hours after Prime Minister Nouri Maliki announced a new open-ended security plan to oust sectarian killers from Baghdad.

Iraqi state television said eight militants, including five Sudanese fighters, were captured on Saturday near Haifa Street.