UK troops raid rebel stronghold south of Baghdad. 25/11/2004. ABC News Online:
Hundreds of British troops raided houses of suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists today in the latest phase of a US-led operation to crack down on guerrilla strongholds south of Baghdad.
Around 500 British soldiers searched a stretch of road lined with upscale villas where officials in Saddam’s regime kept country retreats outside the capital.
They detained 80 Iraqis and confiscated suspected bomb making equipment.
No soldiers were wounded during the raids, which were part of Operation Plymouth Rock, a new offensive in the area that has been dubbed the “triangle of death”.
The operation, named in reference to the US Thanksgiving celebration, involves 5,000 US troops, Iraqi police commandos and British soldiers.
US and Iraqi troops also raided villages in the area overnight........
Following the offensive in Fallujah earlier this month, in which US forces say they killed 1,200 Sunni insurgents and captured 1,000, the Iraqi government and American military say they will pacify other rebel-held areas ahead of national elections due to be held on January 30.
The area south of Baghdad on the east bank of the Euphrates River is dominated by insurgents, who frequently attack US-led troops, Iraqi police and security forces, and Shiite pilgrims travelling to the shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala.
The US military says the area was long used by guerrillas to move weapons and fighters between Fallujah and Baghdad.
Hundreds of British troops raided houses of suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists today in the latest phase of a US-led operation to crack down on guerrilla strongholds south of Baghdad.
Around 500 British soldiers searched a stretch of road lined with upscale villas where officials in Saddam’s regime kept country retreats outside the capital.
They detained 80 Iraqis and confiscated suspected bomb making equipment.
No soldiers were wounded during the raids, which were part of Operation Plymouth Rock, a new offensive in the area that has been dubbed the “triangle of death”.
The operation, named in reference to the US Thanksgiving celebration, involves 5,000 US troops, Iraqi police commandos and British soldiers.
US and Iraqi troops also raided villages in the area overnight........
Following the offensive in Fallujah earlier this month, in which US forces say they killed 1,200 Sunni insurgents and captured 1,000, the Iraqi government and American military say they will pacify other rebel-held areas ahead of national elections due to be held on January 30.
The area south of Baghdad on the east bank of the Euphrates River is dominated by insurgents, who frequently attack US-led troops, Iraqi police and security forces, and Shiite pilgrims travelling to the shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala.
The US military says the area was long used by guerrillas to move weapons and fighters between Fallujah and Baghdad.
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