A US soldier in Fallujah, Nov. 07, 2004. A total of 25 militants were killed when Iraqi police raided insurgents' checkpoint south of Baghdad.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

A total of 25 militants were killed when Iraqi police raided insurgents' checkpoint south of Baghdad, police said Monday.

Dozens of Iraqi police officers from the city of Hillah, dressed in civilian clothing, attacked the militants' checkpoint in the Latifiyah area early on Sunday, police said.

Fierce battle broke out and lasted for several hours, killing 25 insurgents, they said.

Latifiyah, some 30 km south of Baghdad, has long been a bastion of insurgency where coalition and Iraqi forces have come under frequent attacks.