More than 100 die in US push to seize Iraqi city

American and Iraqi forces launched a major assault to regain control of the insurgent stronghold of Samarra today, trading gunfire with rebel fighters as they pushed toward the Iraqi city centre.

More than 100 insurgents were killed and 37 captured, an Iraqi minister said.

An estimated 3,000 troops of the US 1st Infantry Division, as well as those of the Iraqi National Guard and Iraqi Army, moved in after midnight to secure government and police buildings in the city 60 miles north of Baghdad. As they advanced, insurgents attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, the military said.

Qasim Dowoud, Minister of State for National Security, said operations were continuing.

“We will spare no effort to clean all the Iraqi lands and cities from these criminals and we will pave the way through these operations not only for the reconstruction but also for the general elections, “ he said.

Dr Khalid Ahmed said at least 80 bodies and more than 100 wounded were taken to Samarra General Hospital, but it was not immediately clear how many were insurgents. The hospital was running out of supplies, Ahmed said.

The US military said one American soldier was killed and four were wounded, while an Cobra helicopter was hit by small arms fire but was able to land safely at a coalition base near Samarra.

Samarra residents cowered in their homes as tanks and warplanes pounded the city.

The sound of shelling mixed with the crackle of automatic gunfire continued into the morning. At least three houses were flattened and dozens of cars charred, residents said.

“We are terrified by the violent approach used by the Americans to subdue the city,” said Mahmoud Saleh, a 33-year-old civil servant. “My wife and children are scared to death and they have not being able to sleep since last night. I hope that the fighting ends as soon as possible.”

During the push, US soldiers rescued a kidnapped Turkish construction worker who was being held in the city. He was identified as construction worker Yahlin Kaya.

US and Iraqi forces blocked the roads into the city to prevent insurgents from moving in and out, said Major Neal O’Brien, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division.

Water and electricity services were cut off, and troops ordered residents to stay off the streets as they moved from house to house in search of insurgents. A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed.

The offensive came in response to “repeated and unprovoked attacks by anti-Iraqi forces” against Iraqi and coalition forces, the military said.

Its aim was to ”facilitate orderly government processes, kill or capture anti-Iraqi forces and set the conditions to proceed with infrastructure and quality of life improvements.”

“Unimpeded access throughout the city for Iraqi security forces and multinational forces is non-negotiable,” the statement said.

Smoke rose from an area around the Imam Ali al-Hadi and Imam Hassan al-Askari shrine, raising fears about one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims. But the shrine was not damaged and Iraqi forces had secured the site, said Major O’Brien.

“Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces will do everything possible to protect the valuable site from damage,” he said.

As nightfall approached, the situation in the city appeared calm except for American snipers on rooftops of high buildings firing at anybody appearing in the streets below.

The push into Samarra appeared to signal the start of a larger campaign to retake several cities that insurgents have rendered “no-go” zones for US and Iraqi troops. Officials have said that recapturing those cities is key before nationwide elections scheduled for January.

The offensive came a day after a string of bombings across the country that killed at least 51 people, including 35 children at a government-sponsored celebration to inaugurate a sewage plant in Baghdad.

US warplanes and tanks attacked the vast Baghdad slum of Sadr City today, killing 12 Iraqis and wounding 11 others, a hospital director said. The military said only one armed rebel was killed.