|
US launches biggest offensive of the year
Thousands of troops have moved in on militants in and around Haditha in western Iraq, in the biggest offensive so far this year against the al-Qaeda-linked insurgency. Some 2,500 troops, backed up by helicopters and war planes, moved into towns along the Euphrates valley, Haditha, Haqlaniya and Barwana, in Operation River Gate. The US military says is designed to root out al-Qaeda insurgents from the area and "free the local citizens from the terrorists' campaign of murder and intimidation."However, it was announced in a statement on Tuesday that four marines have been killed in the operation. Three died on Monday in Haqlaniya, while a fourth was killed on the Syrian border, taking the total US military death toll since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to 1,936. Local residents in the areas targeted by the offensive told journalists that helicopters dropped troops into the area and a bridge linking Haditha and Berwana was bombed, along with several houses which were believed to have been used by the insurgents. Troops also went house-to-house making arrests. US vehicles were reported to be patrolling the streets, urging local people to give them information about the militants, who had taken control of the towns and were said to have imposed Taliban-style Islamic rule. Meanwhile, since Saturday another thousand troops have been working to root out al-Qaeda militants near Qaim on the Syrian border, further west from Haditha in Operation Iron Fist. These are the latest in a series of operations by US and Iraqi troops targeting certain towns, such as Fallujah and Samarra, which had become rebel strongholds. Each offensive has prompted hundreds of families to flee the towns. Last week hundreds of families were reported to have started fleeing Samarra following an announcement from the Defence Ministry that preparations had started for an offensive against insurgents there. Humanitarian workers say around 800 families have already fled al-Qaim to escape the violence. Several hundred residents from the town are reported to have crossed the border into Syria to seek refuge there. Health workers in the area say there have already been many civilian casualties in the fighting between the militants and the US-led forces. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society says it will sent a relief convoy to western Iraqi on Wednesday with tents, blankets, food parcels and medical supplies for those displaced by the violence. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-10-05 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=131386 |