US occupation forces killed four suspected pro-Saddam “insurgents” and arrested over fifty people as they launched a fourth major offensive in central Iraq, an operation meant to blunt expected attacks on US soldiers, military officials said.
The officials claim the anti-US attacks will be timed with forthcoming holidays that mark major events in the history of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.
The Army's 4th Infantry Division launched operation "Ivy Serpent" Saturday night with a series of raids on suspected pro-Saddam holdouts, sweeping weapons markets in the Baqouba and Balad on the Tigris River north of the capital Baghdad and setting up checkpoints.
"We're going offensive to disrupt potential attacks against us by Baathists and former Fedayeen elements," AP cited Colonel David Hogg, a commander of the 4th Infantry's 2nd Brigade, as saying.
He said two homes used to produce “anti-US propaganda” were raided and that US forces came under rocket-propelled grenade and rifle fire in a sweep through seven locations in Diala Province, northeast of Baghdad.
Hogg said US forces captured three wanted men - a former Fedayeen general, a former Iraqi air force general and the second in charge of the Baath party in Diala Province. (Albawaba.com)
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