Al-Qaida fighters killed in US airstrike

US aircraft killed more than 20 al-Qaida fighters who opened fire on an American air patrol north-west of Baghdad, the military reported today.

The firefight between the US aircraft and the insurgent fighters occurred on Saturday about 17 miles north-west of the capital, the statement said.

“Patrolling the skies, aircraft from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division had reported to the scene to observe possible extremist activities in the area based off of a report from local Iraqi security volunteers that an al-Qaida cell was working in the area,” the military said.

“The aircraft observed about 25 al-Qaida personnel carrying AK-47 assault rifles, with one of the men brandishing an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade), and walking through an area of local shops and into a palm grove. Shortly after spotting the men, the aircraft were fired upon by the insurgent fighters,” according to the statement.

The military did not say what kind of aircraft were involved but the fact that the fighters opened fire suggests they were low-flying Apache helicopters.

Four vehicles were destroyed and no Iraqi civilians or US soldiers were killed or wounded, the military said.

Iraq’s Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said Iraqi soldiers had killed 42 terrorists over the past 24 hours. The operations were centred in Salahuddin and Diyala provinces and around the city of Kirkuk, where the ministry said its soldiers had killed 40 and arrested eight. It said 52 fighters were arrested altogether.