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U.S. Airstrikes Hit 'Qaida Safe Havens' - 40 targets!
U.S. bombers and jet fighters unleashed 40,000 pounds of explosives during a 10-minute airstrike Thursday morning, flattening what the military called al-Qaida in Iraq safe havens on the southern outskirts of the capital.A military statement said B-1 bombers and F-16 fighters dropped the explosives on 40 targets in Arab Jabour in 10 strikes. The massive attack was part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a nationwide campaign launched Tuesday to root out al-Qaida in Iraq fighters. ``Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds,'' the statement said. The attack was carried out above approaching troops of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, which has battled insurgents south of the capital for months. Nine American soldiers have been killed in the first two days of the new offensive - some of the deadliest for U.S. forces in Iraq since last fall. For all December, 23 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq. Six soldiers were killed and four were wounded Wednesday in a booby-trapped house in Diyala, the U.S. command said. It also announced that three U.S. soldiers were killed and two wounded in an attack Tuesday in Salahuddin province, north of Diyala. Posted by: Sherry 2008-01-10 |
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