Eleven persons including three women and three children were killed, as a suicide-bomber blew himself up during a gunbattle following a U.S. raid on a house in northern Mosul Sunday, media reports said.
American troops came under small arms fire as they entered the house in the city of Mosul, 370 kilometers from Baghdad, looking for a wanted man, the U.S. military said. Coalition forces returned fire once engaged. The man reportedly detonated a suicide vest as the troops closed in on the suspects. There were no American casualties.
The Americans said they conducted a sweep and found small arms and explosives hidden in the building. "This is just another tragic example of how al-Qaida in Iraq hides behind innocent Iraqis," U.S. military spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll said.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com