Posted on 06/12/2003 6:54:08 PM PDT by Radix
Americans attack militants in Iraq, killing scores
BAGHDAD American forces attacked militants in western Iraq on Thursday, killing scores in one of the largest and most lethal operations since President George W. Bush declared that the major fighting was over.
The attack began Thursday morning when U.S. warplanes bombed the enemy camp. After the air strike, army Special Operations forces and troops from the 101st Airborne Division moved in on the ground.
The United States suffered one casualty, an army Special Operations soldier who was wounded in the leg. An army AH-64 attack helicopter was shot down during the attack, but the crew reportedly was not injured.
In recent days, the American military presence here has entered a new and more assertive phase in which U.S. forces have mounted major operations north and west of Baghdad.
Lieutenant General David McKiernan, the senior allied land commander, said the strategy was to take the fight to an enemy that has been hiding in remote reaches of the country and planning attacks against allied troops. He said allied troops were facing resistance from Ba'ath Party loyalists, paramilitary forces and possibly militants from Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries who, he said, might still be crossing into Iraq to fight the Americans.
McKiernan said that there was no indication that the fighting around the country was being centrally directed or that Saddam Hussein was in control. But he said there appeared to be organized, if localized, resistance in several regions.
"This is still a combat zone," he said.
Thursday's attack in western Iraq took place at a camp approximately 90 miles northwest of Baghdad. Americans described the camp as a training area for extremists preparing to attack American troops.
The operation began at 1:45 a.m. Baghdad time when American planes bombed the camp. Then, Special Operations Forces and troops from the 101st Airborne Division attacked on the ground. A large number of enemy forces were killed in the bombing raid and ensuing fight.
An American Special Operations Soldier was wounded in the leg. At one point, the Americans thought they had finished off the enemy. But some fighters who eluded detection fired on an Army AH-64 helicopter and managed to shoot it down. The crew of the helicopter were not hurt.
The American operation was still ongoing tonight, and American military officials said that additional details about the raid would not be made public until it was over.
The attack in western Iraq was just one of several operations today. Near Balad, north of Baghdad, the 4th Infantry Division continued to search for Baath loyalists, former military officials and caches of cash in an operation dubbed Peninsula Strike. The aim of that brigade-size operation was to cordon off a peninsula along the Tigris River that is believed to have become a sanctuary for anti-American elements and search it. The American military said that it had detained 397 people. Of these, 59 were later released, it said, because they were under age, elderly or of no use to American officials.
The military operations are part of a broader effort to stabilize Iraq. American commanders are also imposing controls on weapons. Iraqis will be allowed to keep weapons at home for defense. The police, the new Iraqi military, bodyguards and some militias will also be allowed to have arms.
But Iraqis who do not have permission to have such weapons are required to turn them in. Iraqis have until Sunday to turn in the weapons without risking detention. But so far, only a small number of weapons have been turned in, including 113 pistols, 386 automatic rifles, 10 anti-aircraft weapons and 249 grenades.
Nearly half of the army's active divisions are deployed in Iraq. They include the 3rd Infantry Division, the 1st Armored Division, the 101st Airborne Division and the 4th Infantry Division. Other American units here include a brigade of the 82nd Airborne, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and a large, if shrinking number of Marines.
The British also have a division in Iraq.
A Polish-led division is to be deployed in Iraq next month. Other nations sending troops include Spain, Ukraine and perhaps India. But the American forces remain the main force.
The New York Times
As they have been attacking our Troops on a regular basis, that is apparant.
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Yup. I saw a report earlier today that said at least 70 combatants had been killed, most of them foreigners.
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