50 militants killed in Baghdad battle

US helicopters circled above the Haifa Street area where the battle took place, and witnesses said they had seen the aircraft firing into the combat zone.

Major General Ibrahim Shaker, a ministry spokesman, said 21 militants were captured, including seven foreign Arabs —including three Syrians—and one Sudanese.

Police said the clashes began when gunmen attacked Iraqi army checkpoints, and that Iraqi soldiers called for US military help.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Iraqi forces had decided to wipe out “terrorist hide-outs” in the area once and for all.Meanwhile, an Iraqi security official at Baghdad airport said an Antonov plane crashed near Balad, 80 km north of Baghdad. Its passengers were mostly Turks who worked at the airport, said the official.

The pilot had aborted an initial attempt to land because of heavy fog, then crashed on a second attempt, the ministry official said.

Private Turkish news agencies said the plane was trying to land at a US military base at Balad. Turkey’s foreign ministry confirmed that the plane crash happened at Balad, but did not say whether it was at the American base.