BAGHDAD, Oct 22: US forces in Iraq killed 20 insurgents on Saturday near the Syrian border while conducting raids on houses believed to be hideouts for Al Qaeda foreign fighters, the US military said.

A statement said US forces found two large caches of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, mortar rounds and bomb making materials, during the raids in the western town of Husayba. It said one insurgent was captured in the operation.

US forces have conducted a series of operations against insurgents in the Euphrates valley in western Iraq, a key transit route from Syria to Baghdad.

More than 300 foreign fighters, mostly from Arab states, have been captured in Iraq by US-led troops and Iraqi security forces since the start of April, and their nationalities include Israeli, Irish and British, a senior US commander said on Thursday.

—Reuters