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Abducted Iraqi students are freed US forces clash with Iraq militia
(about 2 hours later)
A group of 42 male university students abducted near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have been freed, police say. Twenty people were killed in clashes in Baghdad between US forces and members of the Mehdi Army militia group, Iraqi medical workers say.
Officials said the students were freed in an operation by Iraqi security forces hours after their kidnapping. Iraqi officials said women and children were among the dead and more than 50 wounded in the Sadr City district. The US says nine "criminals" were killed.
The students had been taken hostage on a bus taking them back to Mosul University, where classes were due to restart after a weekend break. The mainly Shia area of east Baghdad is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army.
Another bus carrying students managed to escape, but three passengers were injured by gunfire, police said. The militia's leader, the cleric Moqtada Sadr, has called for a mass demonstration against the US presence.
"We freed the students who were kidnapped this morning south of Mosul," security chief Brigadier General Khalid Abdul-Sattar said. In a statement, the US military said it had carried out an air strike in Sadr City at about 0800 local time (0500 GMT) in which nine "criminals" were killed.
'Fresh clashes' US commanders have previously said their forces are targeting those firing mortars and rockets from Sadr City into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, where the Iraqi government and the US embassy are based.
Mosul, some 360km (225 miles) north-west of Baghdad, has recently been the scene of extra security effort as US and Iraqi forces try to stop violence in cities outside the capital. On Saturday, the Iraqi president, prime minister and other political leaders called for militias to be disbanded.
Elsewhere, the US military said an air strike had killed nine people in the Shia enclave of Sadr City in the capital. Analysts said the call was aimed mainly at the Mehdi Army, which was recently involved in heavy fighting with the security forces across southern Iraq.
Iraqi police and hospital officials said five people were killed and 17 injured in overnight clashes between militants and US soldiers. The clashes eased after Moqtada Sadr ordered his fighters off the streets but sporadic fire fights continue, especially in Sadr City.
Police sources also said a US Stryker armoured personnel carrier was damaged in the fighting, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Students freed
But the US military said it was not aware of any fighting between its troops and militants. Sunday also saw Iraq's security forces report that they had freed 42 university students hours after they were kidnapped by gunmen near the northern city of Mosul.
The male students were on two buses ferrying them to Mosul from their homes in Shurkat, 70 km (40 miles) further south, when they were ambushed and captured.
Mosul, some 360km north-west of Baghdad, has recently been the scene of extra security effort as US and Iraqi forces try to stop violence in cities outside the capital.
Also on Sunday, hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Father Youssef Adel in the capital's Karradah district.Also on Sunday, hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Father Youssef Adel in the capital's Karradah district.
The Assyrian Orthodox priest was killed on Saturday at his home.The Assyrian Orthodox priest was killed on Saturday at his home.
One of the mourners, Midhat Faez, said the assassination was aimed at provoking conflict between Muslims and the tiny Christian community, AP reported. One of the mourners, Midhat Faez, was quoted as saying the assassination was aimed at provoking conflict between Muslims and the tiny Christian community.