Baghdad, Iraq ? U.S. troops backed by helicopters and a jet attacked insurgents planning a nighttime ambush near an American base north of Baghdad, killing six militants and wounding and capturing five others, the U.S. command said Sunday.

The U.S. operation against the insurgents was Saturday night near Taji, a U.S. air base 12 miles north of Baghdad. Troops saw the militants moving along a canal toward a commonly used ambush site, the military said in a statement.

The militants fired on Apache attack helicopters that were conducting reconnaissance in the area.

The helicopters fired back, and the insurgents retreated. When the insurgents tried to regroup for another try at the attack, an Air Force F-15E jet dropped a 500-pound bomb on them, the military said. Six insurgents were killed and five were wounded and captured, the statement said.