US and Iraqi troops killed 30 suspect insurgents during the past 24 hours as a massive military offensive continued in the town of Ubaydi near the Syrian border, the US military said on Tuesday.

The latest deaths brought to 80 the number of suspect insurgents killed in the area, the military said in a statement.

"An additional 30 terrorists have been killed since last night, for an overall total of approximately 80 killed since entering the city yesterday morning (Monday morning)," the statement said, adding that most of those killed were targeted by US air strikes.

An earlier US military statement said some 50 suspect insurgents were killed in sporadic but heavy fightings during the first day of the military operation in Ubaydi.

One hundred and seven improvised explosive devices and mines have been discovered so far, the statement said.

US and Iraqi forces overran Ubaydi town, some 20 km from the Syrian border on the banks of Euphrates River, on Monday.

The US military said the troops had cleared the nearby towns of Husaybah and Karabilah in earlier phases of the operation dubbed "Operation Steel Curtain" and permanent Iraqi-US presence has been established there.

About 3,500 US and Iraqi soldiers participated in the operation, which began on Nov. 5, in the western al-Anbar province to root out insurgents and al-Qaida fighters.

(Source: Xinhua)