June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Coalition forces in Iraq today engaged in a firefight during a strike on what they described as a terrorist training camp 150 kilometers (93 miles) northwest of Baghdad, the U.S. military said in an e-mailed statement.

The camp was populated by members of former President Saddam Hussein's Baath party, according to the statement issued from Camp Doha in Kuwait.

The assault began this morning with an air strike followed by an attack by ground forces. One unidentified coalition soldier was wounded, the U.S. military said.

The battle was part of Operation Peninsula Strike, begun June 9 with raids along the Tigris river centered on Balad, a town about 60 kilometers north of Baghdad. It was designed to ``eradicate Baath party loyalists, paramilitary groups and other subversive elements,'' according to the statement. Of 397 people arrested, 59 have been released because they were too young or old or were of no intelligence value, the military said.

In separate incidents today, also in Iraq, an AH-64 Apache helicopter was shot down, apparently by hostile fire, and an F-16 fighter plane crashed, the U.S. military said in e-mailed statements. No one was hurt in either incident.

Coalition ground forces recovered the Apache's two-member crew uninjured and secured the crash site at an unidentified location in the west of the country almost immediately, according to the statement.

Irregular Forces

Two additional Apache helicopters engaged what the U.S. said were irregular forces in the vicinity of the downed craft. All helicopters involved in the incident belong to the U.S. 101st Airborne Division. There were no other details immediately available.

The U.S. Air Force F-16CG fighter aircraft crashed this morning at an unidentified location southwest of Baghdad. The pilot ejected safely and was rescued an hour later. The cause of the incident is unknown and is being investigated, the U.S. military said.

U.S. and U.K. troops ousted Hussein's regime in April after a three-week war. U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said last month the allies face armed opposition in north and central Iraq from ``tens of thousands'' of people who formed Hussein's security forces.

Balad lies on the road to Tikrit, Hussein's stronghold 145 kilometers north of Baghdad. The fate of the Iraqi leader isn't known after he was targeted twice in air attacks during the war.

The U.S. initiated the invasion after accusing the Hussein regime of failing to surrender banned weapons of mass destruction, as demanded by the United Nations. Coalition forces are currently trying to track down evidence of such weapons.

Last Updated: June 12, 2003 09:02 EDT