Iraq forces kill dozens of militants near Baghdad: ministry

Believe me, this is no day of "kudos" for the Iraqi government or military - what this story is REALLY about is that the forces of al Qaeda in Iraq are spreading out...they are infiltrating more areas of Iraq - quite frankly, I think they see themselves now OWNING Anbar province and have set a plan in motion to occupy Iraqi forces elsewhere as they begin a strategy to hit at numerous points across the country.  The bad stuff hasn't even begun yet.

The story comes from Times of India.

Iraq forces kill dozens of militants near Baghdad: ministry


BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces killed more than 40 militants on Thursday in clashes in a town southwest of Baghdad, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The firefight in the town of Yusifiyah also left one army officer dead, the statement said, adding that two heavy machineguns, 15 rifles and five grenade launchers were seized, along with other equipment.

"Iraqi security forces confronted a failed attempt by Daash gang members to break into a military camp," the statement said, referring to the Arabic abbreviation for the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant jihadist group.

"The security forces ... killed more than 40 terrorist attackers, and the attack resulted in the death of one of our officers when he was confronting these criminal gangs."

The clashes in Yusifiyah come after days of fighting in the Zoba and Zaidan areas west of Baghdad, spurring concerns that militants who have for months controlled the town of Fallujah could be looking to open a new front to encroach on the capital.