BAGHDAD, Nov. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- US forces repelled two attacks in northern Iraq on Sunday afternoon, killing 46 attackers, wounding 18 and capturing eight. A US spokesman called the operation the largest for US task force in the area.

    The "coordinated" attacks were conducted with improvised bombs,mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

    In one of the ambushes, the attackers set up a makeshift barricade trying to block the way of one logistic convoy before they opened fire from rooftops and alleyways, said MacDonald.

    "The barricade was immediately breached," he added.

    In the firefight, US forces took numerous locations and fired small arms and cannons, destroying three buildings and causing "significant enemy losses."

    "It does send a clear message that if you attempt to attack oneof our convoys, we're going to use our firepower to stop that attack," stressed the colonel.

    Samarra, located by the main supply route in the central northern area dubbed as the Sunni Triangle, has witnessed numerousbomb attacks and ambushes on convoys.

    Two South Korean civilian contractors were killed and two were seriously wounded in an attack between Samarra and Tikrit on Sunday.

    Two Japanese diplomats and a Colombian contractor were also killed by unknown gunmen in the same general area on Saturday, further indicating the insecurity in the war-torn country. Enditem