US in new offensive in Iraq
2005-12-04 15:57
Baghdad - US and Iraqi forces undertook a new offensive on Sunday in a town where 19 Iraqi troops were killed a day earlier, as forces wrapped up their latest operations in the restive al-Anbar province.
US and Iraqi forces swept through the town of al-Adhaim, 100km north of Baghdad, in the aftermath of an ambush on Saturday that killed the Iraqi soldiers, according to security sources.
The operation, which lasted through to Sunday morning, resulted in the killing of two insurgents and the arrest of another 55, the military said.
The Iraqi convoy was first hit by a roadside bomb and then ambushed by insurgents.
The attack came after 10 US marines on night patrol were killed in the restive western city of Fallujah, also by a roadside bomb.
2 125 US personnel dead
The Fallujah attack was the bloodiest single attack on US force since August and according to the Pentagon, 2 125 US service personnel have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.
The entire western province of al-Anbar, which contains Fallujah, has been the focus of a series of joint US-Iraqi anti-insurgent operations over the last several weeks.
The US military announced on Sunday the completion of Operation Shank in the provincial capital of Ramadi.
"The operation primarily involved targeted raids conducted by Iraqi army soldiers and US forces against terrorist safe houses in the area.
The raids resulted in the detention of four suspected members of al-Qaeda in Iraq," the military said in a statement.
Elections
Operation Iron Hammer, which targeted the nearby town of Hit on the opposite bank of the Euphrates, is also in its final stages, said the US military, adding that these operations were to make the area secure ahead of the December 15 parliamentary elections.
The operations against predominantly Sunni Arab population centres have angered prominent Sunni Arab religious and political groups, which have called for an end to the "operations against civilians".
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Saturday defended the US-Iraqi operations, saying they "began after repeated attacks by rebels on US and Iraqi forces", and adding they were to secure the area ahead of this month vote.
Death toll 50% up
November was a particularly deadly month for Iraqis, with a death toll that rose by 50% when compared to October, according to government figures compiled by AFP.
Last month, 666 Iraqis were killed by violence ravaging the country compared to 407 in October, according statistics from the health, interior and defence ministries.
The large majority of those killed - 548 - were civilians.
A total of 5 446 Iraqis have been killed since the beginning of the year.
As December 15 parliamentary elections draw nearer, an Iraqi electoral official said nearly 150 candidates could be barred from running due to their links to Saddam's Baath party.
"The electoral law requires us to reject all candidates involved in de-Baathification," an official from the electoral commission said.
- AFP