Iraqi and U S forces kill 15 gunmen near Kut

BAGHDAD, Oct 28 (Reuters) Iraqi and U S forces clashed with gunmen in a raid near Kut in southern Iraq today, killing 15 gunmen, Iraqi Major General Hussein Abdul Hadi said.

Hadi said a joint U S and Iraqi force raided a target in the town of Shujeiriya, north of Kut, and detained eight suspects.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his U S backers have been struggling to bring stability to Iraq more than three years after the U.S.-led invasion.

Sectarian attacks kill around 100 people a day in tit-for-tat violence blamed on insurgents and militias.

REUTERS PB HT2048