The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces have killed six terrorists during operations Saturday.
Four of the militants were killed south of Baghdad in an operation targeting an associate of al-Qaida in Iraq. Two others were killed in another operation near Samarra. The military says nine suspects were captured in the operations, while nine others were detained in separate raids in Baghdad, Samarra and Kirkuk.
The U.S. military also released a statement denying media reports that the 25 people killed in an operation Friday near Baquba were innocent civilians. The military says it has confirmed the dead were members of an extremist group accused of smuggling weapons from Iran.
Some Iraqi authorities and local villagers have said civilians were among the dead.
Elsewhere in Iraq, two roadside bomb attacks killed three American troops Friday, while another soldier was killed by small arms fire Thursday in southern Baghdad.
U.S. military authorities have also reported some success in bringing security to an al-Qaida stronghold southwest of Baghdad the military calls the "Triangle of Death."
Colonel Michael Kershaw told reporters Friday that coalition forces have been able to reduce insurgent violence in the area with the help of Iraqi volunteers, known as the "Concerned Local Citizen Movement", including local Sunnis and former members of the military.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
