The U.S. military says it killed six Iraqi policemen and seven gunmen in Baghdad during a raid to arrest an Iraqi police lieutenant accused of insurgent activity.
A military statement says a street battle erupted early Friday when U.S. troops came under intense fire from an Iraqi police checkpoint and other locations.
The U.S. military says the police lieutenant it captured leads a cell of Shi'ite insurgents with close links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps. Also Friday, the commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq said his troops are making definitive progress.
Speaking to U.S. reporters via satellite, Major General Benjamin Mixon said some of his troops could begin a gradual withdrawal in January.