U.S. Forces Kill 6 Insurgents in Iraq

BAGHDAD - About 50 suspected insurgents attacked a U.S. base in the center of a city north of Baghdad on Friday, sparking a battle with U.S. soldiers and helicopters that left at least six militants dead, the Iraqi army said.

The fighting took place in Baqouba, a Sunni insurgent stronghold that has seen a recent spike in violence largely blamed on militants who fled a three-month-old security crackdown in Baghdad.

Five U.S. soldiers were killed in two separate attacks in Iraq, the military announced on Friday.

An explosion near a military vehicle in Diyala Province on Friday killed three Task Force Lightning soldiers, the military said. In another incident, two …