Iraqi troops have carried out more house-to-house searches for al-Qaida militants in the northern city of Mosul.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is in Mosul, vowed Thursday to impose order in the city and end the suffering of its people. He also met with tribal chiefs to seek their support for the operation.
More than 500 suspected militants have been arrested since the crackdown began earlier this week.
In another development, Iranian state media say gunmen attacked a car carrying Iranian embassy staff Thursday in Baghdad, wounding three Iranians and an Iraqi working for the embassy.
Earlier in the day, Iraqi forces battled Shi'ite militants in Baghdad's Sadr City district. The fighting killed at least seven people and wounded 19 others, despite both sides agreeing to a truce last Saturday.
In other violence, the U.S. military says coalition forces killed two terrorists and detained three others Thursday during an operation targeting al-Qaida fighters west of Baghdad.
U.S. forces also are operating in Mosul, providing logistical and intelligence support to Iraqi forces leading the crackdown on al-Qaida.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
