The US military in Iraq says it is continuing a large-scale operation targeting suspected Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters near the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
The operation has involved more than 50 aircraft, 1,500 Iraqi and US troops and 200 tactical vehicles.
The troops are believed to have detained about 40 suspects and have seized weapons.
Samarra was the site of a bomb attack last month on a Shia shrine that sparked sectarian violence in which hundreds of people were killed.
The campaign is due to last several days.
