Joint US-Iraqi Raid In Baghdad

[Annie]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5025016,00.html

285 Arrested in U.S.-Iraqi Operation

Monday May 23, 2005 9:01 AM


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Almost 300 suspected insurgents were detained overnight in the largest joint U.S.-Iraqi military offensive in Baghdad, the military said Monday.

The ongoing offensive, dubbed Operation Squeeze Play, is centered on western Baghdad's Abu Ghraib district and is targeting militants suspected of attacking the U.S. detention facility there and the road linking downtown to the international airport, the military said in a statement.

``This is the largest combined operation with Iraqi security forces to date,'' said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Clifford Kent. ``The Iraqi Security Forces have the lead in this operation while we perform shaping and supporting roles.''

Seven Iraqi battalions backed by U.S. forces launched the offensive late Sunday. No specific troop numbers were provided but at least 2,000 soldiers are expected to be taking part. U.S. troops distributed leaflets throughout the area to warn about the offensive.

The military said 285 ``suspected terrorists'' have been detained in the last 24 hours during the operation, the latest in a series of large-scale military offensives aimed at stamping out Iraq's rampant insurgency.

The operation appeared to be winding down early Monday, according to eyewitnesses.

Police Lt. Akram al-Zubayee Iraqi and U.S. forces fought gun battles with insurgents in Abu Ghraib's residential district and the nearby village of Haswa, with an unknown number of casualties.

Militants fired mortar barrages at the Abu Ghraib police station and army headquarters in Haswa, al-Zubayee said.

Separately, U.S. soldiers conducted six Baghdad raids on Sunday, detaining 22 suspected militants and confiscating weapons and $6 million in American currency, the military said.