68 Terrorists Meet Allah In The Past Four Days
I thought the "surge" was a failure?
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. and Iraqi troops killed at least 68 al Qaeda militants in Iraq's Diyala province in the past four days, the U.S. military reported on Friday.
U.S. attack helicopters armed with missiles killed 17 "al Qaeda gunmen" Friday in and around a village southwest of Khalis, a volatile town in the province, the U.S. military said.
The military said the attack was part of Operation Arrowhead Ripper, the anti-insurgent offensive going on in and around Baquba, Diyala's provincial capital.
On Friday, attack helicopters spotted a group of armed men trying to avoid police and sneak into the village, the statement said.
Earlier, the U.S. military reported that through Thursday, troops had killed 51 al Qaeda militants in Baquba.
Twenty militants were detained, and seven weapons caches were discovered, the military said.
The military said troops destroyed 21 homemade bombs and nine booby-trapped structures, including an empty school complex, during the first three days of the operation, which began Tuesday.
