BAGHDAD, May 14: US forces on Saturday ended a major week-long sweep dubbed ‘Operation Matador’ targeting militants loyal to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, as a fresh spate of attacks claimed over ten lives. Nine Marines were killed and 40 wounded in the operation in western Iraq near the Syrian border, while US forces claimed killing more than 125 guerillas and detained 39 “of intelligence value”.
“During the seven-day operation, Marines disrupted the known infiltration routes through the region and to deny safe havens,” their statement said. US forces “accomplished (their) mission and secured all objectives,” the statement said, warning that US and Iraqi security forces would return to the area, some 300 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, in the future. The offensive came at a time of increasing attacks across the country where more than 400 civilians and government forces have died since the start of the month, mostly in bloody waves of car bombings.
While much of the fighting was concentrated in the early stages of the operation, with US forces reporting the death of 70 rebels in the first 24-hour period, the marines failed to secure all the towns in the region. They appeared to have surrounded Al Qaim, a town close to the border where insurgent activity was reported, but did not report capturing the city.
The US military reported mortar, machine gun and small arms fire in the town, but said this involved clashes between rival local groups.
It did not explain who the groups were.
According to local sources, fighting involved guerillas loyal to Zarqawi, the most-wanted militant in Iraq, and members of the local Abu Mahal tribe.
Guerillas had earlier kidnapped Ramadi governor Nawaf Raja al Mahalawi, a member of the tribe, to use as a bargaining chip in their fight against US forces in the area.
Residents of Al Qaim were reported to be hiding in their homes, while some families said they had fled into the nearby desert to escape the fighting. —AFP
BAGHDAD, May 14: US forces on Saturday ended a major week-long sweep dubbed ‘Operation Matador’ targeting militants loyal to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, as a fresh spate of attacks claimed over ten lives. Nine Marines were killed and 40 wounded in the operation in western Iraq near the Syrian border, while US forces claimed killing more than 125 guerillas and detained 39 “of intelligence value”.
