US troops begin operation against pro-Saddam militias

US Army units moved in force to seal off the conservative town of Fallujah west of Baghdad early today, intending to raid the homes of suspected militia leaders and search for illegal weapons in a major, co-ordinated operation.

Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade targeted locations where intelligence reports indicated militia operations were under way or weapons stockpiled for use against US forces. The operation was called “Spartan Scorpion”.

The search by some 1,300 troops ended after three hours, faster than scheduled, said officers involved in the raid. No gunfire was heard throughout the operation, and there was no apparent resistance.

One of three task forces involved in the operation reported only one arrest, of a man driving during curfew hours bearing a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

When soldiers began to surround the town, people living in the area sounded sirens and flashed their porch lights.