Iraq: 1,500 troops in assault on rebel stronghold

US forces today launched what was termed the largest air assault since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, targeting insurgent strongholds north of Baghdad, the US military said.

The American troops were joined by the Iraqi army.

“More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation,” the military statement said of the attack designed to “clear a suspected insurgent operating area north-east of Samarra,” 60 miles north of Baghdad.

The military said the operation was expected to continue over several days against insurgent targets in Salahuddin province, where Samarra is a key city.

The province is a major part of the so-called Sunni triangle where insurgents have been active for the past year and more.

Near the end of the first day of the operation, the military said, “a number of enemy weapons caches have been captured, containing artillery shells, explosives, IED-making materials, and military uniforms.”