Iraqi forces retake besieged town

A 1,500-strong Iraqi force moved into the known both as Salman Pak and Madain, 30km southeast of Baghdad, according to an AFP correspondent embedded with the US military.

"The whole city is under control. We've secured houses where people said there were hostages. We could not find any. I don't think we'll find any," said Iraqi Brigadier General Mohammed Sabri Latif.

The military action followed reports that Sunni gunmen had abducted dozens of people and had threatened to kill them unless all Shias left the town, although details on the situation had been sketchy and contradictory.

"I think they (gunmen) ran away to the other side of the river. Possibly they took hostages with them. There are no signs of any killings," said Latif.

As the Iraqi forces moved in, the streets were deserted, shops shuttered and most of the town's some 7,000 residents were hiding inside their homes fearing a military offensive.

"They (militants) have either left or just laying low," said US Lieutenant Colonel Michael Johnson. "The Iraqis have secured most of the town, from here on there will be a police presence in Salman Pak."

Johnson said Iraqi forces were pushing south of the town along the Tigris to sweep through villages in the region.

Meanwhile, a US soldier was killed and another wounded in a bomb explosion south of Baghdad, the US military announced in a statement yesterday.

The attack occurred at 10:40 pm (1840 GMT) on Sunday, said the statement, which provided no further details.

Based on a Pentagon tally, 1,551 US military personnel have been killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion two years ago.