Troops from US, Iraq continue assault on insurgents

Troops from US, Iraq continue assault on insurgents

The United States military has announced that it has launched an air attack on insurgents in the Iraqi city of Samarra. The attack, which is the biggest after the 2003 US invasion, is an attempt to rid a "suspected insurgent operating area" of guerillas.

According to a statement issued by the Pentagon, almost 50 aircrafts, in addition to 1,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops and 200 armed vehicles have been deployed to strike the north-east part of the city which is said to be heading towards a civil war. However, there has been no aerial bombing or missile attack and the helicopters being used only to transport soldiers. “It's not precision bombs and things like that,” said a Pentagon official. Almost half of those deployed are Iraqi soldiers.

The offensive dubbed as 'Operation Swarmer' is directed against armed rebels in the Sunni Arab-dominated town. "Unknown gunmen exist in this area, killing and kidnapping policemen, soldiers and civilians," stated Waaqas al-Juwanya, a spokesman for the Joint Coordination Centre of Iraq. There has been a great deal of violence in Samarra after the February bombing of the Akshariya shrine, the golden mosque which is an important holy place for Shia Muslims.

The attack which was launched on Thursday is likely to go on for quite a few days. According to the military statement, “Initial reports from the objective area indicate that a number of enemy weapons caches have been captured, containing artillery shells, explosives, IED-(bomb) making materials, and military uniforms.” Reports about casualties are yet to come in.

In the meantime, the first session of the Parliament has commenced in Baghdad. The house failed to reach a consensus on the appointment of a speaker. Adnan Pachachi, a member of the parliament expressed his concern over the crisis. “We have to prove to the world that a civil war is not and will not take place among our people," he said. "The danger is still looming and the enemies are ready for us because they do not like to see a united, strong, stable Iraq."