Iraqi, U.S.-led Forces Kill 20 Militants In South

The raids took place in Maysan, where Iraqi forces (above) took charge of security from British forces in April (epa) June 18, 2007 -- U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi special forces have killed at least 20 militants in a series of raids in southern Iraq.

The U.S. military said the overnight raids were carried out in Al-Amarah, the capital of Maysan Governorate, and the nearby town of Al-Majar al-Kabir.

Iraqi police said the clashes involved the Al-Mahdi Army, the militia commanded by radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

British forces handed back security control of Maysan, a predominantly Shi'ite region that borders Iran, to Iraqi security forces in April.

Elsewhere today, a policeman and a militant were killed in clashes that erupted between Iraqi police and Al-Mahdi Army fighters in Al-Nasiriyah, about 120 kilometers south of Al-Amarah.

(Reuters, AP, AFP)