US offensive kills 125 militants in Iraq (photos of Iraq)

Xinhua News Agency. ^ | May 15th, 2005

[M. Espinola]

The U.S. military in Iraq has wrapped up a major offensive in a remote northern desert region near the Syrian border, killing at least 125 insurgents and injuring hundreds more.

US Black Hawk helicopters fly over black smoke billowing from the site of explosion in Baghdad, May 14th, 2005. Iraqi insurgents pressed their campaign to undermine the new government, killing at least nine people in bombings, as fierce fighting between US troops and rebels near the Syrian border.

It was one of the largest American campaigns since militants were driven from Fallujah six months ago.

In a statement issued Saturday, the US military said more than 1,000 marines, soldiers and sailors participated in Operation Matador launched last Saturday and numerous weapons caches containing machine guns, mortar rounds and rockets were discovered.

Nine U.S. marines were killed and 40 injured during the operation.

The weeklong campaign mainly targeted followers of Iraq's most wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Militant attacks surged in Iraq over the past two weeks since Ibrahim al-Jaafari's government was announced, with more than 450 people killed so far.

Iraqi soldiers search orchards in the town of Maqdadiya during a raid. US forces ended a major week-long sweep dubbed operation 'Matador' targetting militants loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.(AFP/Ali Yussef)

[M. Espinola]

A man watches smoke rise following a suicide car bomb attack in Baghdad May 14th, 2005. A suicide car bomber blew himself up next to an Iraqi police patrol in central Baghdad, killing at least four people, police sources said. Photo by Stringer/Iraq/Reuters

U.S. forces investigate the scene of a car bomb explosion which targeted a police patrol in central Baghdad, Iraq Saturday, May 14th, 2005 killing at least four Iraqis and injuring eleven, according to police at the scene. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

US troops close off the main highway leading to the airport following a roadside bomb in Baghdad. US forces pressed on with a massive assault against Al-Qaeda linked insurgents in western Iraq as aid workers reported that hundreds of residents were fleeing the fighting.(AFP/Ahmad)

People gather at the site of a car bomb explosion in Baghdad. The car bomb exploded on a main street of Baghdad's eastern Jadida district, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)

An Iraqi fireman screams for help at the site of an explosion at a market in central Baghdad. The car bomb exploded on a main street of Baghdad's eastern Jadida district, according to an official.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)

An injured child is rushed from the scene of a car bomb explosion at a market in central Baghdad. The car bomb exploded on a main street of Baghdad's eastern Jadida district, according to an official.(AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)

Japanese Defense Force soldiers hold a judo class for local youths at their base in the southern Iraq city of Samawa May 13, 2005. The fate of a Japanese man missing in Iraq is still unknown, three days after a militant group claimed to have captured him.

Olympias, a Panamanian-flagged commercial ship which caught fire in the northern Gulf Wednesday May 11, 2005. The crew of a U.S. Navy ship patrolling the Gulf in support of the U.S. mission in Iraq rescued a 27-member crew from a burning commercial ship, the Navy reported.

US Army soldiers respond to a roadside bomb on the highway leading to the airport, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 13yh, 2005. A roadside bomb completely destroyed one humvee along a highway leading to the airport. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

[EternalVigilance]

Very nice. But I already miss Dio.

[Rodney King]

Very nice. But I already miss Dio.

Huh? Ronnie James Dio?

[EternalVigilance]

Diogenesis.

Night...

[Rodney King]

Ahh, is he dead, or banned?

[Cobra64]

The U.S. military in Iraq has wrapped up a major offensive in a remote northern desert region near the Syrian border, killing at least 125 insurgents...

I'd like to see if our guys could up the ante by a level of 1,000.

Seriously, God Love our military, and Rummy and Cheney. The only ones that understand combat. If I were W, I'd send Congress and the Senators back to their home states and tell them to STFU. Then again, I just Tom-Taxpayer.

[CFC__VRWC]

He opused earlier this week.

[M. Espinola]

Thank you!

[M. Espinola]

Dio had some of the best photo documentation.

[Rodney King]

Oh, wow. Do you have a link?

[Rodney King]

never mind, found it. thanks.

[M. Espinola]

The enemy is suffering huge losses which shall only multiply. We are getting closer to bagging the head jihadic serial killer, al-Zarqawi.

It's more advantageous if the head butcher can be captured alive so he can be induced to sing like a bluebird (in his case a vulture) about other key operatives in al-Qa'ida's Mohammedan death cult spreading death & chaos in Iraq, Afghanistan, plus worldwide.

[Fee]

What the MSM failed to report is the Marines did not enter the rebel stronghold because the local tribal leaders and their armed militia is going house to house chasing the foreign fighters out of the town. Fighting has broken out between local tribal forces and insurgents in the town of Quam which controls the main highway from Syria to Baghdad. This is important because insurgencies cannot succeed if the local population do not support them.

[TheCrusader]

"What the MSM failed to report is the Marines did not enter the rebel stronghold because the local tribal leaders and their armed militia is going house to house chasing the foreign fighters out of the town."

If true, this is really, really good news.

[daybreakcoming]

Thank you very much for the pictures which I only had in my head until now.

[M. Espinola]

You what they say, 'a picture is worth a thousand words'.