US says kills 26 in Iraqi insurgent hotbed Ramadi

RAMADI, Iraq, Aug 12 (Reuters) The United States military said it had killed 26 rebels after coming under fire from several locations in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

''Marines and soldiers ... were attacked at multiple locations with rocket-propelled grenades, medium machinegun fire and small arms fire from buildings targeting outposts in the northwest portion of the city,'' it said in a statement today.

Six insurgents were wounded and there were no US casualties in the fighting yesterday, said the military.

US and Iraqi forces had been beefing up their presence in Ramadi in a bid to drive out Sunni Arab insurgents fighting to topple the US-backed, Shi'ite-led government.

But street to street battles continue in Ramadi, a key bastion for the insurgency.

REUTERS AB PM1617