Battle Just East of Baghdad

U.S., Iraqi troops battle dozens of insurgents
2 American soldiers, Iraqi troop killed in fighting east of Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces battled dozens of insurgents in a remote area east of Baghdad and three soldiers, two American and one Iraqi, were killed in the fighting, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

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The battle erupted on Monday afternoon when two Iraqi army battalions were carrying out a “cordon-and-search operation” in eastern Diyala province, it said in a statement.

“The mission to search for weapons cache sites in the area uncovered dozens of terrorists and a firefight ensued.”

Around 100 U.S. troops with Bradley fighting vehicles moved in to back up the Iraqi forces, and called in air support. The area was still being searched on Tuesday, the U.S. army said.

“There were two to three dozen insurgents there, with evidence of prepared fighting positions,” Major Richard Goldenberg, spokesman for the 42nd Infantry Division, said in Iraq.

In the latest abduction, police said Brigadier General Jalal Mohammed Saleh was pulled from his car. He was the commander of a special armored division, one of the first armored units in the re-formed Iraqi army.

>> Source Article [MSNBC]