23 people killed in clashes south of Baghdad
3/8/2006 17:15
Clashes erupted between gunmen and Iraqi security forces in two restive
areas south of Baghdad on Wednesday, during which 23 people were killed and
dozens wounded, an Iraqi Interior Ministry source said today.
A joint Iraqi
army and police force chased and fought unidentified gunmen near Suwaiyah, some
40 km south of Baghdad, killing 15 militants and seizing weapons and ammunition,
the source said on condition of anonymity.
In another move, Iraqi security
forces stormed the Wahdah area, 20 km south of Baghdad, after a fierce fighting
between insurgents and local security forces, the source said.
The security
forces found bodies of eight people including five civilians and three policemen
at the scene of the clashes, the source added.
The bodies were then taken to
the neighboring Wasit province, according to the source.
Suwaiyah and Whadah
are located in a vast open area south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The area is
populated by Shiite and Sunni Arabs and has been a bastion of insurgency against
US and Iraqi forces.
Xinhua
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