The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces have killed three terrorists and detained another 44 suspects during operations targeting terrorist leaders and their cells.
The military said coalition forces conducted raids Friday in or near Baghdad, Ramadi and Mosul. The three militants who died were killed while trying to attack coalition forces.
The U.S. military says two roadside bombs Thursday killed two American soldiers in Baghdad.
The British military says three of its soldiers were killed by mortar rounds that struck their base Thursday in the southern city of Basra.
On the diplomatic front, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, has called for an expanded U.N. role in Iraq. Khalilzad said the U.N. is uniquely suited to work out a regional framework to stabilize Iraq and can play a mediation role within the country.
Khalilzad made his remarks in an opinion article published today in The New York Times. He previously served as U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
The United Nations has played a limited role in Iraq since a 2003 terrorist attack on U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
