Some 14 Iraqis were killed near Baqouba

One American military spokesman said that the national guards forces and the Iraqi police killed 13 gunmen during clashes that took place in Bahraz town to the south of Baqouba city.

An American military statement said that these forces were exposed to fire from gunmen while supporting an American soldier while carrying out a breaking in campaign to the south of the town searching for weapons. The statement said that the American forces retaliated the sources of the fire and provided air support for 41 minutes during the clashes.

However, news reports quoted a different story by the citizens that the town's chieftains had agreed with the American forces not to enter it, but the American forces broke its promises and entered it and this pushed its people to challenge these forces.

The people of the city stressed that the number of killed armed men was two while other 6 were injured.

In Baqouba, the American forces killed one Iraqi and wounded other 9 during the breaking in operation carried out in the city in search of suspected persons.

One Iraqi military source said that the American forces received information to that there are weapons shelters hidden near Bahraz town, stressing that these forces are preparing to withdraw from the town and will be replaced by Iraqi forces.

Earlier, the American army announced that one American soldier of the marines forces was killed because of the wounds in his head on Saturday in a land mine explosion implanted on the roadside when his vehicle was running near Beji refinery to the north of Iraq and the explosion resulted in wounding another soldier.