Iraqi police say kill 11 foreign fighters

BAGHDAD, Oct 4 (Reuters) Iraqi police said they killed 11 foreign fighters, including nine Syrians, in the town of Muqdadiya, north of Baghdad, today.

Diyala police chief, Major-General Ghassan Adnan, said police killed the men as they tried to escape through rural farmland on the outskirts of the town.

Adnan said local tribes had informed the police on the whereabouts of the militants, who include a Saudi national and a Sudanese man.

The government has announced many arrests in the restive province of Diyala in recent days as part of a wider crackdown.

Foreign fighters are believed to form a small number among the Sunni-led insurgents but are generally considered the most hard-core.

The co-operation between local tribes and police comes after a similiar agreement in the western province of Anbar led to tribal forces killing al Qaeda in Iraq militants.

REUTERS MS PM1841