At least 16 militants have been killed in a battle between al Qaeda and the Islamic Army near the ancient Iraqi city of Samarra.
The Islamic Army is a nationalist group that has been hostile to al Qaeda since June and has battled for control of major Sunni cities in Iraq where many locals have complained of al Qaeda violence.
A security source in Salahuddin province said two non-Iraqi Arabs and an Iranian were among those killed in the battle yesterday.
The Islamic Army succeeded in taking control of the area.
In Diyala province, US forces have arrested a Shia fighter and shot dead two others, accusing them of ignoring Moqtada al-Sadr's order to freeze militia activities.
Another 14 suspected militants were also detained at the site in the village of Fawwaliyah, northeast of Baghdad.
Iraqi security officials said gunmen wearing military uniforms kidnapped the police chief of Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, today.
The convoy of Colonel Amer Nsaif was ambushed near the village of Abu Saidr, near Baquba, and he and his seven bodyguards were taken.
This morning, a bomb buried in rubbish killed eight people and injured 13 in the Diyala Bridge area of southeastern Baghdad.
Two policemen were among those wounded in the blast, which targetted an area of restaurants.
Also a series of coordinated roadside bombs killed five people, including a group of truck drivers, south of Kirkuk.
