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US begin massive operation for suspected militia leaders
Fallujah (Iraq), June 15: US army units moved in force to seal off the conservative town of Fallujah west of Baghdad early today, intending to raid the homes of suspected militia leaders and search for illegal weapons in a major, coordinated operation.
Fallujah (Iraq), June 15: US army units moved in force to seal off the conservative town of Fallujah west of Baghdad early today, intending to raid the homes of suspected militia leaders and search for illegal weapons in a major, coordinated operation.
Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade
targeted locations where intelligence reports indicated
militia operations were underway or weapons stockpiled for use
against US forces. The operation was called "Spartan
Scorpion."
The initial thrust against the city 60 km from the capital met no resistance, but Iraqis flashed their porch lights in apparent warning to each other that the American troops were coming.
The 2nd Brigade entered Fallujah and the nearby towns of Habaniyah and Khaldiyah on June 4, tripling the number of US troops in the area after repeated ambushes on supply convoys. The Brigade's mission was to defeat anti-American militias and help restore local government offices and infrastructure.
The raids across Fallujah by task force 3-15, task force 1-64 and task force enforcer - more than 1,300 soldiers - began at about 0430 IST, just three hours after a deadline for Iraqis to turn in heavy weapons under an amnesty program.
The raid against Fallujah followed an extensive action last week, dubbed operation peninsula strike, against the so-called "Sunni triangle" north and west of Baghdad, which the military declared yesterday had been completed successfully. About 60 of the 400 people detained during the search-and-seizure operation remained in custody for further interrogation, said the US Central Command.
Bureau Report
The initial thrust against the city 60 km from the capital met no resistance, but Iraqis flashed their porch lights in apparent warning to each other that the American troops were coming.
The 2nd Brigade entered Fallujah and the nearby towns of Habaniyah and Khaldiyah on June 4, tripling the number of US troops in the area after repeated ambushes on supply convoys. The Brigade's mission was to defeat anti-American militias and help restore local government offices and infrastructure.
The raids across Fallujah by task force 3-15, task force 1-64 and task force enforcer - more than 1,300 soldiers - began at about 0430 IST, just three hours after a deadline for Iraqis to turn in heavy weapons under an amnesty program.
The raid against Fallujah followed an extensive action last week, dubbed operation peninsula strike, against the so-called "Sunni triangle" north and west of Baghdad, which the military declared yesterday had been completed successfully. About 60 of the 400 people detained during the search-and-seizure operation remained in custody for further interrogation, said the US Central Command.
Bureau Report