U.S. troops raided a suspected suicide bomber cell Sunday, killing a dozen militants, half of whom had shaved their bodies -- which the U.S. military says indicates they were in the final stage of preparation for a suicide attack. Troops came under fire while approaching a building in the volatile Diyala province, military spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson said in an e-mail. The troops returned fire, killing five men, before demanding that the remaining occupants exit the building. Some complied; others remained in the building, Danielson said. The militants inside opened fire when U.S. troops stormed the building. Seven more militants were killed in the gunfight, Danielson said. "Six of the terrorists killed had shaved their bodies, which is consistent with final preparation for suicide operations," he said.
Inside, troops found assault weapons, ammunition, grenades and vests like the ones suicide bombers use to conceal explosives. Diyala province stretches north and east of Baghdad and has been a major front for U.S. troops fighting militants.