Iraq: 12 'militants' killed in US raid

US and Iraqi forces killed 12 suspected insurgents and arrested 16 in a dawn raid south of Baqouba today, an Iraqi military official said.

The operation occurred in al-Dawasir, about six miles south of Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province north-east of Baghdad. US and Iraqi troops have been battling Sunni fighters and Shiite militias in Diyala for months.