A medical worker inspects bodies of six Iraqi Sunnis in hospital morgue in Mahmoudiya, 30 kilometers south of Baghdad, 3 Mar 2007

Police in Iraq say gunmen have shot and killed six Sunni civilians in a raid on a house outside Baghdad.

Authorities said Saturday the six men, all members of the same family, had received death threats from Sunni insurgents for taking part in a reconciliation meeting with Shi'ites last month. The attack took place in Yusufiya, about 20 kilometers south of the Iraqi capital.

In other developments, the U.S. military says coalition forces Saturday detained nine suspected terrorists in a raid targeting al-Qaida in Iraq just north of Baghdad near Taji.

American officials also say coalition airstrikes Friday near the same area targeted an al-Qaida in Iraq network responsible for threats against coalition aircraft. The military says it believes the airstrikes killed several key insurgent leaders and destroyed anti-aircraft weapons. Insurgents have shot down eight coalition helicopters since January 20.

Also Friday, Iraqi security forces found the bodies of 14 policemen in Diyala province. An al-Qaida-linked Sunni group said it abducted the men to avenge the alleged rape of a woman last month.

The group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq said it killed 18 captured Shi'ite men working for the Iraqi Interior Ministry, because the government ignored demands to release all Sunni female prisoners and hand over those involved in the alleged rape.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.