Sunday, April 26, 2009

U.S., Iraqi troops wage new offensive against al-Qaida north of Baghdad

And a lot of people thought that Al Qaida Was done In Iraq ! It just goes to show you that one of Al Qaida's Greatest strengths is in their , Hiding and waiting , They are pros at going undetected and then pouncing some time later !

China View
TIKRIT, Iraq, April 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. and Iraqi forces backed by aircraft launched a pre-dawn offensive on Sunday to flush out al-Qaida militants from their strongholds in Salahudin province, said a provincial security source.

The operation begun around midnight with heavy bombardment by U.S. helicopters on suspected al-Qaida hideouts in the open rural area northeast of the town of Duluiyah, some 90 km north of Baghdad," Nadhum al-Jubouri, head of the town's Awakening Council groups fighters, told Xinhua.

After nearly four hours of bombing, U.S. troops and Iraqi special forces searched the vast area and fought sporadic fierce clashes with groups of al-Qaida militants, Jubouri said.

At least ten insurgents were killed during the clashes, including two suicide bombers who blew up their explosive belts near the troops, but caused no casualty, he said.

Ten other insurgents were detained by the troops, Jubouri added.

Bilal al-Majmaie, another Awakening Council leader in the neighboring province of Diyala in northeast of Baghdad, told Xinhua that most of the suicide bombers who carried out deadly attacks during the past few days were coming from the vast rural areas between the provinces of Salahudin and Diyala.

He said that the area is well-known with its redoubts of militant groups, including the al-Qaida in Iraq network which has its bases for training its militants and suicide bombers.

Few days ago, Diyala province, Duluiyah and Baghdad were scenes of deadly suicide bomb attacks that claimed the lives of hundreds of Iraqis and Iranian pilgrims who enter Iraq to visit the Shiite holy shrines.
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