The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Baghdad

Eleven people were killed, including three women and three children, as a suicide bomber struck and a gunbattle broke out during a US raid on a house in northern Mosul on Sunday, the US military said.

American troops came under fire as they entered the house in the city of Mosul, 370 kilometres (230 miles) from Baghdad, looking for a wanted man, it said in a statement.

It said a man detonated a suicide vest as the troops closed in on the suspects.

Five men were killed along with three women and three children while another child was wounded in the blast, the US military said, without reporting any American casualties.

"As coalition forces entered the building housing the terrorist, they began receiving small arms fire. Coalition forces returned fire once engaged."

"A terrorist detonated a suicide vest shortly thereafter in the house t Five terrorists along with three women and three children were killed," the statement said.

It was not clear if the women and children were killed in the blast or by gunfire.

The Americans said they conducted a sweep and found small arms and explosives hidden in the building.

"This is just another tragic example of how al-Qaeda in Iraq hides behind innocent Iraqis," US military spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll said.