US troops kill four armed men, two Iraqi bystanders killed

By KUNA

BAGHDAD, Aug 8 (KUNA) -- United States military in Iraq said on Tuesday that its warplanes killed four armed men who were trying to plant bombs in the southern suburbs of the Iraqi capital.

A statement from the US military said its reconnaissance planes along with US military forces have scouted places of 13 armed men who were planting explosives near a road in an agriculture location along the bank of the Euphrates River.

The statement added US warplanes have conducted a raid on the targets, killing four while a fifth man managed to escape.

Meanwhile, the US military also said that a joint Iraqi and US force has arrested 13 armed men in a paratroopers' Multi-National Forces (MNF) operation, with US military air coverage in the northern part of the capital.

Another statement by the US military said forces from the second Iraqi tank Brigade participated in the operation, along with the tenth US paratroopers battalion, enforced by Black Hawk helicopters that executed a raid operation on 12 hideouts, resulting in the arrest of 13 insurgents.

The statement added US warplanes also participated in the operation.

On another front, two Iraqi civilians were killed today after clashes with armed men in the city of Mosul north of Iraq.

An Iraqi police source said unknown gunmen opened fire on a mobile phone shop retailer, when one civilian who was inside also died of shot wounds.

The source added an improvised bomb targeting a police patrol vehicle exploded on the Al-Tahreer road west of Mosul.

There were no causalities but the explosion caused damage to nearby vehicles, the source added. (pickup previous) ahh.sbr.aam