Israeli troops kill W.Bank militant leader: hospital

JENIN, West Bank – Israeli troops shot dead a leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses said.

Israeli forces operating in the West Bank town of Qabatiya, near the city of Jenin, killed Walid Obeidi in a gunfight, witnesses said.

Two other Islamic Jihad militants were wounded and arrested by the Israeli troops, they said.

An Israeli army spokesman was checking the report.

Israeli forces frequently raid West Bank towns in search of militants suspected of involvement in attacks against Israelis.