Baghdad: Dozens of militants stormed a Shiite village north of Baghdad today, killing at least 13 people and torching homes, police said. Elsewhere the same region, four villages were freed from al-Qaida's control, Iraqi officials said.

The militant attack on Dwelah, about 75 kilometers north of Baghdad in Diyala province, began about 6:30 AM with a bombardment of mortar rounds, then 50 to 60 suspected al-Qaida fighters streamed in and opened fire, forcing families to flee, a police officer said.

The militants burned homes and killed at least 13 villagers, including three children and two women, the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information about the raid. But the villagers fought back, police said, killing three gunmen.

Elsewhere in Diyala, US and Iraqi troops, police and members of a local tribe freed four villages from al-Qaida control, killing 10 militants and arresting 15 in a two-day operation that ended today, according the provincial army and police headquarters. Among the weapons and ammunition seized were 100 barrels of TNT.

The US military, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has courted both Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders in Diyala and elsewhere, hoping they will help lead local drives against al-Qaida. A similar effort saw some success in Iraq s westernmost province, Anbar, where Sunni tribes rose up against the organization s brutal tactics and austere version of Sunni Islam.

Source : PTI