US in town battle with rebels
In Baghdad, a leading Sunni Arab politician, Adnan al-Dulaimi, called for a halt to US and Iraqi military operations against cities in order to encourage disaffected Sunnis to join the political process and vote in national elections next month.
The US commander of the joint force, Col Stephen W Davis, said that by late Sunday, his troops had moved "about halfway" through Husaybah, a market town along the Euphrates River about 200 miles northwest of Baghdad.
At least 36 insurgents have been killed since the assault began Saturday, and about 200 men have been detained, Col Davis said.
He did not give a breakdown of nationalities of the detainees. Many were expected to be from a pro-insurgent Iraqi tribe.
A Marine was killed by small arms fire in Husaybah on Sunday, the military said. The New York Times, which has a journalist embedded with the US forces, reported that three Marines were also wounded Sunday.
Elsewhere, an American soldier was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb near Tikrit, the US command said.
The latest deaths raised to at least 2,047 the number of members of the US military who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003.
Also yesterday, five people were killed and four injured in east Baghdad when a mortar shell exploded near a Turkomen club, police said. It was unclear whether the club was the target.
US officials have described Husaybah which used to have a population of about 30,000 as a stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq, which is led by Jordanian extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Husaybah is a main entry point for foreign fighters, weapons and ammunition entering from Syria.
From Husaybah, the fighters head down the Euphrates valley to Baghdad and other cities.
In a live report from the scene yesterday morning, CNN said the house-to-house battles were continuing, with ground forces supported by Humvees and tanks working their way through the narrow streets of the bleak desert town.
In an interview yesterday, Capt Conlon Carabine said: "We are meeting quite a bit of resistance here in Husaybah but the offensive is going well.
"Our strategy is basically to kill the insurgents when we come across them."
Capt Carabine said US and Iraqi forces plan to establish a long-term presence in the town once the insurgents are routed.
"Once we clear this town, we're going to stay in this town," he said. "We're not going to leave this population."
Col Davis said the militants were putting up a tough fight because "this area is near and dear to the insurgents, particularly the foreign fighters" because it is so close to the Syrian border.
"This has been the first stop for foreign fighters, and this is strategic ground for them," he said.
The US-led assault includes about 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and will serve as a major test of the fledgling army's capability to battle insurgents seen as essential to enabling the Bush administration to draw down its 157,000-strong military presence.
Also yesterday, the US military announced it had killed two regional al-Qaida in Iraq leaders operating in the Husaybah area during air strikes that destroyed several insurgent "safe houses" on October 31, near the towns of Karabilah and Obeidi.
The Americans hope the Husaybah operation, codenamed Operation Steel Curtain, will help restore enough security in the area so the Sunni Arab popula tion can participate in December 15 national parliamentary elections.
If the Sunnis win a significant number of seats in the new parliament, Washington hopes that will persuade more members of the minority to lay down their arms and join the political process, enabling US and other international troops to begin withdrawing next year.
However, a protracted battle in Husaybah with civilian casualties risks a backlash in the Sunni Arab community, which provides most of the insurgents.
Some Sunni politicians fear military operations will further alienate fellow Sunni Arabs.
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