BAGHDAD, June 29: The United States on Sunday reiterated its confidence regarding bringing Saddam Hussein to book, as the US military announced the launch of a new operation to suppress his supporters.

“Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse conducted more than 20 simultaneous raids involving attack aviation, armour and infantry forces,” the US military said in a statement.

The operation — dubbed Desert Sidewinder — follows Operation Desert Scorpion launched on June 15 to eliminate what the US military described as “destabilising influences”

targeting its rebuilding efforts.

Over 60 suspects were detained in the raids along with weapons and military documents believed to relate to the former regime, the statement said.

“The raids target former Baath Party loyalists, terrorists suspected of perpetrating attacks against US forces and former Iraqi military leaders, and to locate weapons and ammunition caches,” the statement added.

“Operation Sidewinder (seeks) ... to root out elements attempting to undermine coalition efforts to restore basic infrastructure and stability in the region,” it said.

Spokeswoman Sergeant Amy Abbott, while declining to say where exactly the operation was being carried out, said that US forces considered the central area of paramilitary activity in central Iraq to be along the Tigris River from Baghdad to Samarra, around 125km north of Baghdad.—AFP