U.S. strikes insurgents targeting helicopters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. air strike killed senior insurgents suspected of targeting American helicopters in Iraq, and the Iraqi government said 39 militants had been killed in volatile western Anbar province in recent fighting.The U.S. military said on Saturday the air strike took place on Friday north of Baghdad near the town of Taji, which is home to a major U.S. air base. It said weaponry, including a vehicle mounted with anti-aircraft artillery, was destroyed."Coalition forces believe key terrorists were killed during the air strike ... Intelligence reports indicated this network is responsible for threats to coalition aircraft," the military said in a statement without elaborating.Insurgents have shot down eight helicopters since January 20 in Iraq, killing a total of 28 people, mostly soldiers. Six of those helicopters were U.S. military aircraft and two belonged to a private American security firm.U.S. commanders say those responsible for the downings are being hunted. They have said insurgents appeared to be targeting helicopters to undermine a new security crackdown in Baghdad that began last month and which is seen as a last ditch effort to stop Iraq from tearing itself apart.The Iraqi Defence Ministry said in a statement Iraqi security forces had killed 39 militants in the vast western province of Anbar on Friday and had detained 30 others.The toll could not be independently verified and it was unclear if there were any government casualties.Iraqi and U.S. officials hope the Baghdad plan can weaken the grip of Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias. Violence has ebbed since the plan kicked off.
One of the most critical areas is Anbar, where Sunni tribal leaders have been engaged in an increasingly violent power struggle with Sunni al Qaeda.According to the Interior Ministry, dozens of militants including foreign fighters were killed on Wednesday in a battle for an Anbar village between al Qaeda and Iraqi security forces.The struggle between Sunni tribes and al Qaeda is seen by some Iraqi officials as the best hope of pacifying Anbar, which is the most dangerous for U.S. soldiers in Iraq but also home to vital trade routes to neighbouring Jordan and Syria.The U.S. military says it cannot defeat al Qaeda in Anbar without the help of the traditionally minded tribal leaders, who oppose the militant group's plan to impose an Islamic caliphate.In other violence, insurgents killed six members of one Sunni family on Saturday when they stormed a home in the town of Yusufiya, just south of Baghdad, police said.Relatives said insurgents had sent death threats after the family had met with local Shi'ite leaders in an attempt at reconciliation.