US and Iraqi troops brandish ‘sword’ against insurgents

BAGHDAD – US marines and Iraqi soldiers pressed with an anti-insurgency sweep west of Baghdad yesterday dubbed Operation Sword after US President George W.

Bush pledged his country’s troops would stay on in Iraq. Hundreds of US marines, soldiers and sailors along with Iraqi forces scoured the lush Euphrates valley area west of the flash-point city of Ramadi for insurgents as part of Operation Sword, launched two days ago.”Operation Sword is currently focusing on clearing insurgents and foreign fighters from the city of Hit,” said a US military statement adding that 13 suspects have been arrested in house raids.Several hundred mortar and artillery rounds, explosives, rifles, a machine and various bomb-making materials were discovered, said the statement.It said the operation will focus on the stretch along the river between Hit and Haditha further west.The latest operation in the Sunni Arab town of Hit, 160 kilometres west of Baghdad, comes after US-led forces wrapped up last week another operation dubbed spear that involved airstrikes against suspected insurgent hideouts further west along the Syrian border.In February US-led forces battled rebels in the area west of Ramadi as part of Operation River Blitz.But since then, the insurgency proved to be resilient, reorganising itself quickly and carrying on the battle in other parts of the vast Al-Anbar province.- Nampa-AFPHundreds of US marines, soldiers and sailors along with Iraqi forces scoured the lush Euphrates valley area west of the flash-point city of Ramadi for insurgents as part of Operation Sword, launched two days ago.”Operation Sword is currently focusing on clearing insurgents and foreign fighters from the city of Hit,” said a US military statement adding that 13 suspects have been arrested in house raids.Several hundred mortar and artillery rounds, explosives, rifles, a machine and various bomb-making materials were discovered, said the statement.It said the operation will focus on the stretch along the river between Hit and Haditha further west.The latest operation in the Sunni Arab town of Hit, 160 kilometres west of Baghdad, comes after US-led forces wrapped up last week another operation dubbed spear that involved airstrikes against suspected insurgent hideouts further west along the Syrian border.In February US-led forces battled rebels in the area west of Ramadi as part of Operation River Blitz.But since then, the insurgency proved to be resilient, reorganising itself quickly and carrying on the battle in other parts of the vast Al-Anbar province.- Nampa-AFP