Seraphim
07-13-2003, 08:29 AM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030713/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_operation&cid=540&ncid=716
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030713/capt.1058093173.iraq__jbm116.jpg
Fourth Infantry Division soldiers from the 1st Battalion 68th Armor Task Force detain and put sandbags over the heads of the men, 31 in total, of the village of Mashahdah, Iraq (news - web sites) 45 kilometers north of Baghdad Sunday, July 13, 2003. The search mission was part of Operation Ivy Serpent which began Sunday in an attempt to root out and eliminate pro-Saddam insurgents who have been firing rocket-propelled grenades on American vehicle convoys and launching mortar attacks on U.S. bases.(AP Photo/John Moore)
By BORZOU DARAGAHI, Associated Press Writer
BALAD, Iraq - American forces killed four suspected pro-Saddam insurgents and arrested more than 50 people as they launched a fourth major offensive in central Iraq (news - web sites), an operation meant to blunt expected attacks on U.S. soldiers, military officials said.
The officials say the anti-U.S. attacks will be timed with upcoming holidays that mark major events in the history of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s Baath Party,
The Army's 4th Infantry Division launched operation "Ivy Serpent" Saturday night with a series of raids on suspected pro-Saddam holdouts, sweeping illegal weapons markets in the Baqouba and Balad on the Tigris River north of the capital and setting up checkpoints.
"We're going offensive to disrupt potential attacks against us by Baathists and former Fedayeen elements," said Colonel David Hogg, a commander of the 4th Infantry's 2nd Brigade.
He said two homes used to produce anti-U.S. propaganda were raided and that American forces came under rocket-propelled grenade and rifle fire in a sweep through seven locations in Diala Province, northeast of Baghdad.
Hogg said U.S. forces captured three wanted men — a former Fedayeen general, a former Iraqi air force general and the second in charge of the Baath party in Diala Province. He would not give their names.
Since President Bush (news - web sites) declared major combat over on May 1, 31 U.S. soldiers have been killed by enemy forces and scores have been wounded in hit-and-run attacks.
Most attacks have taken place in Baghdad and traditionally pro-Saddam Sunni Arab strongholds of central Iraq, known as the "Sunni Triangle."
Warnings of attacks have mentioned uprisings in Hawijah, Baji, Kirkuk, Samarra and Balad. American forces said they believed the best defense was to launch a pre-holiday move against potential insurgents.
"The goal is to knock the Baath Party and the Wahhabi elements off balance," said Lt. Col. Nat Sassaman, a Balad-area battalion commander. Wahhabism is the fundamentalist type of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).
Army officers say many of the attacks in the past were carried out by aimless young men paid about $153 by former regime security officials. The 4th Infantry's 3rd Brigade has begun offering $250 rewards for usable intelligence and $100 rewards for information leading to weapons caches.
America's elusive enemy in Iraq appears to have some level of organization. Using flares and small-arms fire, they have a developed a system to notify one another when the Americans are entering an area.
The three previous anti-insurgency operations — Peninsula Strike, Desert Scorpion and Sidewinder — yielded mixed results.
Hundreds of suspects were detained, but many were released for lack of evidence. Numerous large weapons caches were discovered, but the attacks against Americans continued.
Operations often have taken place in the dead of night with teams of scouts conducting reconnaissance, tanks establishing security cordons and quick-action infantrymen with night-vision goggles storming suspected locations. But the start of Ivy Serpent — expected to last at least a few days — coincided with a full moon taking away some of the advantage the Americans have in the dark, U.S. military officials said.
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030713/capt.1058093173.iraq__jbm116.jpg
Fourth Infantry Division soldiers from the 1st Battalion 68th Armor Task Force detain and put sandbags over the heads of the men, 31 in total, of the village of Mashahdah, Iraq (news - web sites) 45 kilometers north of Baghdad Sunday, July 13, 2003. The search mission was part of Operation Ivy Serpent which began Sunday in an attempt to root out and eliminate pro-Saddam insurgents who have been firing rocket-propelled grenades on American vehicle convoys and launching mortar attacks on U.S. bases.(AP Photo/John Moore)
By BORZOU DARAGAHI, Associated Press Writer
BALAD, Iraq - American forces killed four suspected pro-Saddam insurgents and arrested more than 50 people as they launched a fourth major offensive in central Iraq (news - web sites), an operation meant to blunt expected attacks on U.S. soldiers, military officials said.
The officials say the anti-U.S. attacks will be timed with upcoming holidays that mark major events in the history of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s Baath Party,
The Army's 4th Infantry Division launched operation "Ivy Serpent" Saturday night with a series of raids on suspected pro-Saddam holdouts, sweeping illegal weapons markets in the Baqouba and Balad on the Tigris River north of the capital and setting up checkpoints.
"We're going offensive to disrupt potential attacks against us by Baathists and former Fedayeen elements," said Colonel David Hogg, a commander of the 4th Infantry's 2nd Brigade.
He said two homes used to produce anti-U.S. propaganda were raided and that American forces came under rocket-propelled grenade and rifle fire in a sweep through seven locations in Diala Province, northeast of Baghdad.
Hogg said U.S. forces captured three wanted men — a former Fedayeen general, a former Iraqi air force general and the second in charge of the Baath party in Diala Province. He would not give their names.
Since President Bush (news - web sites) declared major combat over on May 1, 31 U.S. soldiers have been killed by enemy forces and scores have been wounded in hit-and-run attacks.
Most attacks have taken place in Baghdad and traditionally pro-Saddam Sunni Arab strongholds of central Iraq, known as the "Sunni Triangle."
Warnings of attacks have mentioned uprisings in Hawijah, Baji, Kirkuk, Samarra and Balad. American forces said they believed the best defense was to launch a pre-holiday move against potential insurgents.
"The goal is to knock the Baath Party and the Wahhabi elements off balance," said Lt. Col. Nat Sassaman, a Balad-area battalion commander. Wahhabism is the fundamentalist type of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).
Army officers say many of the attacks in the past were carried out by aimless young men paid about $153 by former regime security officials. The 4th Infantry's 3rd Brigade has begun offering $250 rewards for usable intelligence and $100 rewards for information leading to weapons caches.
America's elusive enemy in Iraq appears to have some level of organization. Using flares and small-arms fire, they have a developed a system to notify one another when the Americans are entering an area.
The three previous anti-insurgency operations — Peninsula Strike, Desert Scorpion and Sidewinder — yielded mixed results.
Hundreds of suspects were detained, but many were released for lack of evidence. Numerous large weapons caches were discovered, but the attacks against Americans continued.
Operations often have taken place in the dead of night with teams of scouts conducting reconnaissance, tanks establishing security cordons and quick-action infantrymen with night-vision goggles storming suspected locations. But the start of Ivy Serpent — expected to last at least a few days — coincided with a full moon taking away some of the advantage the Americans have in the dark, U.S. military officials said.