BAGHDAD, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. airstrike killed key members of the al-Qaida in Iraq north of Baghdad on Friday, the U.S. army said on Saturday.

    Based on intelligence, U.S. aircraft conducted an airstrike west of Taji area, some 20 km north of the capital, the military said in a statement.

    The statement said that the military believed key members of the al-Qaida in Iraq were killed and anti-aircraft artillery destroyed in the airstrike.

    In another statement, the military said that U.S. forces detained nine suspected "terrorists" in a raid in Baghdad targeting the al-Qaida network Saturday morning. Two of the detainees were believed to be foreign fighter facilitators, the statement added.