Iraqi and US troops killed a leader of al Qaeda in Iraq on Friday and the city of Baquba was under curfew after at least 30 people died a day earlier in one of the biggest recent battles with insurgents.
Humadi al-Takhi, a well-known figure locally and reputed to be the district al Qaeda chief, was killed in a raid on a house just outside the city of Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghad.
He is the third brother from his family to die as a senior member of al Qaeda, assuming the Samarra leadership last year when his elder brother Najim was arrested and later found dead. Another al Qaeda leader was arrested nearby on Thursday.
In the city of Baquba, to the east of Samarra, the streets were quiet after a daytime curfew was imposed following an attack on police and army posts on Thursday by at least 100 rebels.
In one raid, insurgents attacked a police station and five police checkpoints with mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. Iraqi soldiers and police killed 17 rebels, the US military said. One Iraqi soldier was killed and two were wounded. In a separate operation, insurgents also armed with mortar rounds and rocket launchers attacked an Iraqi army headquarters. Four insurgents were killed and six Iraqi soldiers died in those clashes, which also left two civilians dead.
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