Iraqi rebels clash with US troops

Insurgents control parts of Mosul

US troops killed about 25 insurgents in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul after they were attacked by suicide bombers, the US military has said.

An army spokesman said car bombs had targeted a patrol and military outpost, and that troops sent to the area came under attack.

One US soldier died and 15 were injured in the clashes.

The battle follows an insurgent attack on a US base near Mosul on 21 December, which left 22 people dead.

Two kidnapped

Mosul has seen a wave of violence since November's offensive on Falluja.

US forces called in air strikes on Wednesday to fend off the attacks by about 50 militants, who were armed with guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

The American soldier died in hospital of injuries suffered in the car bomb explosions, a US military spokesman said.

In other developments:

• Masked gunmen kidnap two Lebanese businessmen on Wednesday night from their home in Baghdad's Mansour district

• A Kurd believed to be a senior member of the al Qaeda-linked network led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is captured with two other suspects by US forces in Baghdad, the Iraqi interim government says

• A roadside bomb explodes as a US military convoy passes through the Hourrajab district south of Baghdad on Thursday, destroying one military vehicle, the Associated Press news agency reports.

A fuel truck was used to attack the soldiers who were stationed at a house in Mosul, witnesses told Reuters news agency.

Smoke could be seen rising from the location of the blasts while insurgents roamed the streets.

The US army says more of its troops will be sent to the city of 1.5 million inhabitants ahead of elections on 30 January.