BAGHDAD, Nov 13: US and Iraqi forces killed an estimated 15 Al Qaeda gunmen during a fierce battle south of Baghdad after the militants launched a major attack on recently formed neighbourhood patrols, the US military said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the military said up to 45 Al Qaeda fighters assaulted two checkpoints operated by local security guards on Monday using a mix of small arms and heavy-calibre machineguns mounted on trucks, sparking a day-long fight.

At one stage, American F-16 warplanes dropped two 500 lb bombs on routes used by the gunmen to attack the checkpoints in the town of Adwaniya, 20km southeast of Baghdad near the Tigris River.

The area has long been a haven for Al Qaeda in Iraq, which is blamed for most suicide bomb attacks in Iraq.

The Al Qaeda raid marked one of the biggest attacks on neighbourhood patrols since a programme to increase their numbers picked up steam in and around Baghdad a few months ago.

The US military calls the men, who run checkpoints and guard infrastructure, “concerned local citizens”. Most are paid.

Officials in the Shia-led government view the formation of such armed groups, which are predominantly made up of Sunni Arabs, with suspicion and as a potential threat to the administration. A number of local guards are former insurgents who have since turned against Al Qaeda.—Reuters