An Iraqi soldier frisks a driver at a checkpoint in the center of Baghdad, 09 March 2007

The U.S. military says coalition forces in Iraq killed one terrorist and captured 16 suspects in raids Friday.

The military says those detained include an al-Qaida related suspect known as "The Butcher," who was picked up in the northern city of Mosul.  A military statement says "The Butcher" is allegedly responsible for kidnappings, beheadings and suicide operations in the Ramadi and Mosul areas. It says one terrorist was killed in Friday's raid in Mosul.

In an operation northeast of Karmah, the military says troops picked up suspects believed to be part of an al-Qaida courier network.

In a separate statement, the military says 12 insurgents were killed in an operation near Baghdad's international airport Wednesday.

It says Apache attack aircraft, supporting ground troops, killed the insurgents and destroyed a truck with a mounted anti-aircraft heavy machine gun.

Meanwhile, Baghdad is preparing for an international security meeting Saturday that will include diplomats from Iraq's neighbors and the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China.

A top American diplomat participating in the conference, Ambassador David Satterfield, says the United States is prepared to raise concerns about Iraq directly with Iranian and Syrian representatives.

The United States is concerned that Iranian weapons are being used by insurgents to attack U.S. troops in Iraq. Washington also wants Syria to stop the flow of foreign fighters and weapons across the Syrian border into Iraq.