Iraqis seal off Haifa street day after fierce battle kills 50 'insurgents'; 21 more 'suspects' arrested

The scene on Haifa street today

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi troops sealed off a notorious Sunni insurgent stronghold in Baghdad and rounded up 21 suspects after a day of heavy fighting left at least 50 militants dead.

The arrests were made in two simultaneous early morning swoops on homes in the southwest of the capital, the US military announced, a few hours after US-led Iraqi troops laid siege to a downtown insurgent hub.

Troops seized materials to make roadside bombs in one home and guns, ammunition, armoured vests and 5,000 dollars in cash in a second house during raids the military said aimed to stem sectarian violence.

A day earlier, the Iraqi army backed by US forces, fighter jets and helicopter gunships launched a massive operation to flush out Sunni insurgents holed up in Haifa Street, but by nightfall the sound of gunfire had died down.

The battle saw hundreds of Iraqi and US troops deployed on the streets and kept most residents indoors, witnesses said, as Iraqi soldiers remained in place in order to secure the area for a second day on Wednesday.

Although sporadic gunshots continued to reverberate around the Haifa Street area on Wednesday, Iraqi and US officials said the situation was quiet.

"The fighting has eased now and the Iraqi army has sealed off the entire area," defence ministry spokesman Ibrahim Shaker told AFP.

Read the rest at Yahoo News

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Fierce battles, air power in offensive against Sunni neighborhood; 50 'insurgents' killed