BAGHDAD, June 20: US and Iraqi troops stepped up a massive offensive against suspected Al Qaeda strongholds northeast of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 30 alleged insurgents, the US military said.

Around 7,500 US troops and 2,500 Iraqi forces poured into the provincial capital of Baquba in Diyala province, which has been riddled with insurgent attacks in recent months. The operation is part of what US military officials say is a new strategy of using reinforcements from the recently completed troop surge to launch simultaneous assaults on insurgents across Iraq.

“You are going to see persistent operations simultaneously conducted and well coordinated throughout all of the different provinces in all of Iraq,” Rear Admiral Mark Fox told a news conference on Wednesday.

“We are now seeing the true surge at its full force.” In Baquba helicopters whizzed overhead as heavily-armoured vehicles pushed through the pockmarked streets in the largest single assault since US forces invaded the western city of Fallujah in November 2004.

“These criminals will know no safe place to hide in Diyala,” Brigadier General Mick Bednarek said in a statement released by the US military.

“The people of Diyala are tired of the terror and violence these Al Qaeda thugs have brought to their province and are cooperating with us in order to root them out.” In addition to killing 30 suspected Al Qaeda militants, US and Iraqi forces uncovered several weapons caches, including four homemade bombs in homes and another 10 bombs buried underground, the US military said.—AFP