The morning News

US-led forces say they have killed 26 militants in a series of raids in the Sadr City area of Baghdad.

Troops also detained 17 militants in the pre-dawn raid on the area, a Shia stronghold, the US military said.

But Iraqi hospital and police officials put the death toll at eight and said civilians were killed in their homes, the Associated Press reports.

The raids are the latest in a series of US offensives against militants accused of smuggling weapons from Iran.

"It is believed that the suspected terrorists have close ties to Iranian terror networks," a US military statement said.

The statement said US troops had met "significant" resistance during the operation, from militant small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, as well as from roadside explosive devices.

The US military said troops travelling in armoured vehicles had "used proper escalation of force rules to engage four civilian vehicles".

One resident said US attack helicopters had launched missiles at targets in the densely-populated district, home to more than two million people, Reuters reports.

"At about 0400, a big American convoy with tanks came and began to open fire on houses - bombing them," Basheer Ahmed, who lives in Sadr City's Habibiya area, was quoted by AP as saying.

"What did we do? We didn't even retaliate - there was no resistance."

US-led troops have also attacked what they call insurgent strongholds linked to al-Qaeda around the capital in the last few weeks.

The BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says US commanders believe these so-called "belt areas" are where many of the car bombs set off in the capital are made.

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