Iraqi security forces have shot dead at least 11 suspected al-Qaeda operatives who were hiding in a sheep truck near the northern city of Tikrit, the defence ministry said.
The men were killed in fighting at a checkpoint between ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and Baiji, ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari said.
"Members of the Iraqi special forces intercepted a truck transporting animals, but there were 11 al-Qaeda fighters hiding in it," Askari said, adding that one of the men was a foreigner from an unidentified Arab nation.
Askari said the truck was believed to be fleeing the main northern Iraqi city of Mosul, where the Iraqi army has been conducting a large-scale crackdown on al-Qaeda since May 14.
On Thursday, 15 suspected al-Qaeda members were gunned down by a militia group loyal to the government in the same region.