Intelligence

U.S. Troops Battle Fighters Near Baghdad

Yahoo! News - U.S. Troops Battle Fighters Near Baghdad: "By TAREK AL-ISSAWI, Associated Press Writer
KHALDIYAH, Iraq - U.S. troops backed by tanks and helicopters battled Iraqi resistance fighters Monday near this Sunni Muslim town west of Baghdad, and the U.S. military announced the arrest of 92 people in a series of raids aimed at those responsible for attacks against Americans north of the capital. "

Sporadic, heavy gunfire rattled farming communities north of this town, where resistance to the American presence is strong. Residents said the fighting began at midmorning and continued in the early afternoon, with U.S. M1A2 tanks firing 120-millimeter cannons as helicopters strafed farm houses with 50-millimeter machine gun fire.

Villagers said the clash began after Iraqi resistance fighters fired rocket-propelled grenades at an American convoy. U.S. military spokesmen in Baghdad said they had no information about the fighting. Hours after the battle began, four U.S. armored personnel carriers arrived as reinforcements. A jet fighter could be heard in the area. Eight Humvees carrying U.S. troops also could be seen heading toward the battle.

To the north, soldiers of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division launched two dozen raids in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s hometown Tikrit and other areas, arresting 92 people and seizing weapons and ammunition in operations that ended Monday morning.

One of the raids included the largest-ever joint operation by U.S. troops from the 720th Military Police Battalion and about 200 American-trained Iraqi police.

"The people we went after are the trigger-pullers attacking the coalition," said Lt. Col. David Poirier, who commands the 720th, based in Fort Hood, Texas. "We want to send the message that if you pull the trigger on the coalition, we will get you."

He said the operations were designed to "break the back of the Fedayeen" in the Tikrit area.

Raids in the 4th Division sector have intensified after Iraqi resistance fighters shot and killed three Americans in an ambush two weeks ago just outside Tikrit. In a coordinated series of attacks and ambushes against U.S. forces last week, nine Iraqi fighters were also killed.

"We think all these people and weapons found in the past are linked," Poirier said. "We think they are linked to the organized attacks and are also responsible for the assassination attempts against the Iraqi police as well."

The ongoing violence has complicated efforts to rebuild this country following the collapse of Saddam's regime in April. Since President Bush (news - web sites) declared an end to major combat on May 1, more than 80 American soldiers have been killed by hostile fire. That has led to questions about the U.S.-led coalition's stewardship of this country since American and allied forces launched military operations March 20.

In Baghdad, suspected Saddam supporters Monday blew up early a video shop that sold videotapes depicting atrocities committed by the ousted regime. No one was injured in the pre-dawn blast which also damaged four other shops on al-Rasheed street. Shopkeeper Abbas Fadhil, 27, said he had received leaflets warning him to stop selling such tapes "but I paid no attention to them."

On Sunday, the Polish military reported that one Iraqi was killed and a second was detained after a gunbattle with a Polish patrol near the city of Hilla. It was the first fatality suffered in a clash involving the Poles, who took over control of a sector in south-central Iraq (news - web sites) on Sept. 3.

Poland commands some 9,500 peacekeepers from 21 nations and contributed about 2,400 of its own troops to the force.

Meanwhile, a 17-member, bipartisan Congressional delegation is visiting Iraq to get a firsthand look at conditions here as Congress considers President Bush's request for an additional $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites). The figure includes $20.3 billion to rebuild Iraq's government and economy after the war.

Democrats have criticized the $20.3 billion portion, noting it comes as the United States struggles with record federal deficits. The plan has been submitted as polls show a steady drop in Bush's popularity and in the public's confidence in his Iraq policies.

"I think most of the ones who were here will be supporting this legislation ... and I hope their voices will have a very big impact upon the Democrats in the House, as well as the Republicans," Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., told reporters Sunday in Mosul.

During their visit to Baghdad, Lewis and other delegation members toured the al-Yarmouk hospital, peering into baby incubators and greeting expectant mothers at the maternity ward.

Infant mortality in Iraq is estimated at 103 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in the United States.

"We have been shocked by the conditions of the infrastructure in general, and this hospital is a reflection of just how bad the situation is," Lewis said after walking through the grounds.

Lewis described the $20.3 billion as "only the beginning" of what will be required to repair the country's infrastructure.

September 29, 2003 at 07:02 AM in Iraq | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home