Three US airstrikes in northeastern Baghdad have killed 12 suspected gunmen and wounded 15 civilians, Iraqi police and US military say.

The deadliest strike occurred Tuesday early afternoon when an unmanned drone fired a missile at a large group of gunmen with weapons and mortar tubes, according to a US military statement.

The Hellfire missile killed some 10 fighters who were heavily armed, it claimed.

Iraqi police said 15 people, including women and children, also were wounded in the strike. The US military denied it.

Earlier in the day, another unmanned aerial vehicle fired a Hellfire missile elsewhere in the area, killing two suspected gunmen after two mortar rounds were fired at US forces, according to the statement.

In the third incident, an unmanned drone fired a Hellfire missile to destroy four rocket rails in an open field after determining no civilians were in the area.

JS/DT