Iraq: Troops fight house-to-house battles in border town

US and Iraqi troops battled militants in house-to-house combat today, the third day of a major offensive against al-Qaida fighters in a town near the Syrian border.

The first American fatality was reported during the operation, codenamed Operation Steel Curtain.

US commander of the joint force, Col Stephen Davis, said last night that his troops had moved “about halfway” through Husaybah, a market town along the Euphrates River about 200 miles north west of Baghdad.

At least 36 militants have been killed since the assault began on Saturday and about 200 men had been detained, Davis said. He did not give a breakdown of nationalities of the detainees. Many were expected to be from a pro-rebel Iraqi tribe.

The New York Times, which had a journalist embedded with the American forces, reported today that one US Marine was killed and three were wounded the day before.

CNN, which also had a reporter accompanying the offensive, said at least one Iraqi soldier has been wounded and that as many as 80 militants had died in the fighting.

In a live report from the scene, 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 with US jets and helicopters flying overhead.

Scores of terrified Iraqis fled a besieged town yesterday, waving white flags and hauling their belongings.

Davis would not comment on US and Iraqi government casualties but said the militants were putting up a tough fight because “this area is near and dear to the insurgents, particularly the foreign fighters”.

Speaking by telephone, he said: “This has been the first stop for foreign fighters, and this is strategic ground for them.”

The US Marines said American jets struck at least 10 targets around the town yesterday and that the American-Iraqi force was “clearing the city, house by house”, taking fire from militants hidden in homes, mosques and schools.

Residents said by satellite phone that sounds of explosions diminished somewhat yesterday, although bursts of automatic weapons fire could be heard. They said coalition forces warned people by loudspeakers to leave on foot because troops would fire on vehicles.

“I left everything behind – my car, my house,” said Ahmed Mukhlef, 35, a teacher who fled Husaybah early yesterday with his wife and two children while carrying a white bedsheet tied to a stick. “I don’t care if my house is bombed or looted, as long as I have my kids and wife safe with me.”

The Marines said in a statement that about 450 people had taken refuge in a vacant housing area in Husaybah under the control of Iraqi forces. Others were believed to have fled to relatives in nearby towns and villages in the predominantly Sunni Arab area of Anbar province.

US officials have described Husaybah, which used to have a population of about 30,000, as a stronghold of al Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Husaybah had long been identified as an 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.

Several people identified as key al-Qaida in Iraq officials have been killed in recent air strikes in the Husaybah area, the US military has said. Most were described as “facilitators” who helped smuggle would-be suicide bombers from Syria.

Damascus has denied helping militants sneak into Iraq and witnesses said Syrian border guards had stepped up surveillance on their side of the border since the assault on Husaybah began.

The Americans hope the Husaybah operation will help restore enough security in the area so the Sunni Arab population 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 militants.