US-Iraqi offensive nets 300 suspected insurgents

Almost 300 suspected insurgents have been detained in the largest joint US-Iraqi military offensive in Baghdad, the military said today.

The ongoing offensive, dubbed Operation Squeeze Play, is centring on western Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib district and targeting militants suspected of attacking the US detention facility there and the road linking central Baghdad to the international airport, the military said in a statement.

“This is the largest combined operation with Iraqi security forces to date,” said US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Clifford Kent. “The Iraqi Security Forces have the lead in this operation while we perform shaping and supporting roles.”

Seven Iraqi battalions backed by US forces launched the offensive late on Sunday. No specific troop numbers were provided but at least 2,000 soldiers are expected to be taking part. US troops distributed leaflets throughout the area to warn about the offensive.

The military said 285 “suspected terrorists” have been detained in the last 24 hours during the operation, the latest in a series of large-scale military offensives aimed at stamping out Iraq’s rampant insurgency.

The operation appeared to be winding down early today, according to witnesses.

Police Lieutenant Akram al-Zubayee Iraqi and US forces fought gun battles with insurgents in Abu Ghraib’s residential district and the nearby village of Haswa, with an unspecified number of casualties.

Militants fired mortar barrages at the Abu Ghraib police station and army headquarters in Haswa, al-Zubayee said.

Separately, US soldiers conducted six Baghdad raids on Sunday, detaining 22 suspected militants and confiscating weapons and cash, the military said.