50 rebels killed in fresh US assault

AMERICAN and Iraqi troops launched a dawn assault yesterday on another town near the Syrian border and killed 50 insurgents, a US statement said, while the Interior Ministry reported that a car bomb detonated outside a gate leading into the fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, killing two South Africans.

Operation Steel Curtain entered a new phase when US and Iraqi forces moved into the Euphrates River valley town of Obeidi, about 185 miles west of Baghdad. Troops had successfully cleared the old part of the town and were now moving into the other half, the statement said.

"Approximately 50 insurgents are estimated to have been killed in sporadic but heavy fighting. The combined force of Iraqi army and coalition forces has encountered at least six mines and improvised bombs," the statement said. "A suspected car bomb placed in the advance of Iraqi Forces was engaged with a round from an M1A1 tank. The blast from the tank initiated a secondary explosion powerful enough to throw the car onto the roof of a nearby building."

The troops assigned to the 2nd Marine Division have already fought their way through two neighbouring towns, Husaybah and Karabilah. US forces believe the border towns have been an entry point for insurgent fighters and arms into Iraq.

The explosion in Baghdad killed two South Africans and wounded three others working for a US State Department security contractor DynCorp International, US embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Colton said. The blast was followed by small arms fire and black smoke that could be seen across the city.

The blast apparently targeted a convoy of sport utility vehicles leaving the Green Zone, the headquarters of the Iraqi government and US forces in Iraq. It occurred near the Iranian embassy, about 100 metres north of the Green Zone gate, which is surrounded with blast walls. Two Apache attack helicopters were soon flying over the scene as the smoke cleared and sporadic gunfire continued in the area.

On most days in Baghdad at least one car bomb detonates, mostly targeting Iraqi security services or US troops. Direct attacks on the Green Zone are rare.

In the western town of Ramadi, a Sunni stronghold, a road-side bomb detonated shortly after a US patrol passed by, destroying two buses and killing five civilians and wounding 20 others, said police captain Nassir Al-Alousi.

The attacks followed demands by Sunni Arab politicians for an end to US and Iraqi military operations, claiming they threaten Sunni participation in next month's elections a key US goal.