Hundreds of US troops backed by tanks and helicopters raided suspected guerrilla hideouts in Iraq today on the first day of a new operation against those attacking American soldiers, US officers said.
Twenty-four Iraqis were detained in raids around the small town of Khalis, 60 km north of Baghdad, seven of them specific targets suspected of carrying out attacks, said Major Josslyn Aberle of the US Army's 4th Infantry Division.
Operation Ivy Needle is aimed at hunting down suspected guerrillas loyal to Saddam Hussein hiding in remote areas across three provinces north of the capital, Maj Aberle said.
"What we are doing is surgical strikes on more remote areas where we have not had a very large or enduring military presence," she told reporters at the 4th Infantry Division's headquarters in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit.
Sixty-five American soldiers have been killed in guerrilla attacks since major combat was declared over on May 1st following the war which toppled Saddam. Washington has blamed the attacks on fighters still loyal to the fugitive president.
Maj Aberle said the operation would go on for several days.
US forces have launched a string of such operations to crack down on guerrilla activity in volatile areas north of Baghdad, the heartland of support for Saddam, where resistance to US occupation has been strongest.