US troops raid homes and round up militant suspects

US SOLDIERS backed by helicopters and tanks raided homes, rounded up suspects and confiscated weapons in the restive town of Fallujah yesterday, part of a nationwide campaign to root out anti-American insurgents who’ve been stepping up attacks.

Operation Desert Scorpion, launched yesterday, involves a series of sweeps throughout Iraq using most of the US Army units present in the country, said Army Captain John Morgan, a spokesman for the Army’s V Corps.

“It’s a combat operation to defeat the remaining pockets of resistance that are delaying the transition to a peaceful and stable Iraq,” Morgan said.

Iraqi families complained of heavy-handed tactics by the 1,300 troops who carried out the raids in Fallujah, a town that has shown the strongest resistance to US troops.

Some said troops broke into homes and arrested people with no involvement in attacks on American forces.

Jassim Ali Mohammed, aged 60, said 20 troops raided his house in the middle of the night, handcuffed his two sons and forced them to lie face down on the ground, later taking them away.

He said soldiers also took documents and even some children’s school books.

“I’m 60 years old and I have nothing to do with all this. Even Saddam never did a thing like this to us. We got rid of one problem and now we’re having a bigger one,” said Mohammed, turning his face to wipe away tears.

To defuse animosity, troops followed up their assault by delivering humanitarian supplies, including school books, medicine and even teddy bears. Major humanitarian deliveries would be made throughout yesterday, officials said.

No American or Iraqi casualties were reported in the operation involving soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade. The three-hour sweep, one of the largest since major combat was declared over May 1, met no resistance.

Participating in Operation Desert Scorpion are the Army’s 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions, the 101st Airborne Division, the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, the 1st Armoured Division and some US Air Force Units, Morgan said.

He added that the raids across Iraq are often made “using specific intelligence to go after specific targets”.

“To the best of our ability we’re trying to limit the number of innocent bystanders caught up in this,” he said.

The nationwide sweep aimed to seize militants and unauthorised arms following the end of a deadline for Iraqis to turn in any weapons heavier than an assault rifle.

Nearly 50 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the end of the war. Many of the attacks have taken place in the area north and west of Baghdad known as the “Sunni triangle”, where some people remain loyal to the ousted, Sunni-dominated regime of Saddam Hussein.

Of the Sunni cities, Fallujah has been the most openly volatile. Residents have made no secret of their rage since US troops fired on crowds in April, killing 18 and wounding at least 78 in two confrontations.