House used by foreign fighters hit, 5 killed

House used by foreign fighters hit, 5 killed
By Robert H. Reid - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jun 9, 2008 16:21:45 EDT

BAGHDAD — U.S. soldiers called in an airstrike Monday during an attack on a house believed used by foreign fighters, killing five militants and capturing more than a dozen others, the U.S. military said.

The firefight broke out early Monday when American soldiers, acting on information from an Iraqi prisoner, came under heavy gunfire as they approached the suspected hideout in a remote area of northwestern Iraq, the U.S. said in a statement.

Soldiers called in an airstrike, which destroyed the house, triggering secondary explosions from the weapons and explosives stored inside, the statement said.

Five men were confirmed dead, and multiple suicide vests and heavy machine guns were found in the ruins of their hideout, it said.

The statement did not give a precise location for the raid. But northwestern Iraq has long been used by al-Qaida and other Sunni militant groups as an infiltration route for smuggling weapons and fighters into the country from Syria, according to the military.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_iraqraid_060908/