'26 Iran-linked terrorists killed in Baghdad raid'

BAGHDAD: US and Iraqi forces killed 26 insurgents linked to 'Iranian terror networks' and detained another 17 in pre-dawn raids in the Shiite bastion of Sadr City in Baghdad, according to the US military.

"Coalition forces conducted two separate raids targeting suspected secret cell terrorists during pre-dawn hours today in Sadr City," the military said in a statement.

"It is believed that the suspected terrorists have close ties to Iranian terror networks and are responsible for facilitating the flow of lethal aid into Iraq," it added.

The raids are the latest in a series of operations targeting militants in the northeast Baghdad Shiite slum, who the US accuses of smuggling weapons from Iran and sending Iraqi fighters to train in the Islamic republic.