Gun battle in Baghdad 'kills 24'

Insurgents frequently target members of the Iraqi police

A gun battle between Iraqi insurgents and US troops near Baghdad has left 24 rebels dead, the US military says.

It says six soldiers and seven insurgents were also injured in the ambush, which took place about 20 miles (30 km) from the Iraqi capital.

Earlier on Sunday a suicide bomber killed the head of the police anti-corruption department in the northern city of Mosul.

Insurgents then attacked his funeral, killing at least two other people.

The Iraqi cell of al-Qaeda said they carried out the attack in Mosul.

In Baquba, north of Baghdad, at least 13 people were injured after an attack on an Iraqi National Guard post.

However, reports that a government minister had been kidnapped south of Baghdad turned out to be incorrect.

The Mosul attack was the second time in less than 48 hours that a murdered policeman's funeral has been targeted with further fatalities.

On Saturday, at least three Iraqi policemen were killed by a roadside bomb in Kirkuk during a funeral procession for a policeman gunned down the day before.

Mosul is a mainly Sunni Muslim city with a powerful insurgent presence and has been the scene of several attacks in recent weeks.