U.S., Iraqi forces attack towns in western Iraq

RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) – U.S. and Iraqi forces, backed by
helicopters, attacked towns in the far west of Iraq near the
border with Syria overnight in a sweep for militants, Iraqi
police and residents said on Saturday.

Iraqi police in the area said convoys of U.S. military
vehicles rolled into Qaim and nearby towns, including Karabila
and Sedea, in the early hours, following attacks by
helicopters.

A doctor in the main hospital in Qaim, Amir al-Obedi, said
10 people had been killed and 8 wounded in the fighting. He
said relatives of the wounded told him they had been attacked
by U.S. helicopters in Sedea, a town near Qaim.

The U.S. military said it had no information about any
operations in the area.

Asked about reports from residents that U.S. and Iraqi
forces had clashed with insurgents and that a roadside bomb had
targeted a U.S. Humvee vehicle, U.S. Marine Captain Patrick
Kerr responded in an email:

“I couldn’t find any information to substantiate that
claim,” and urged reporters to “check back in a day or two.”

U.S. forces have previously conducted several large-scale
offensives against insurgents in the area. Earlier this year,
the U.S. military said it had cleared Qaim and Karabila of
militants, only for them to return a few weeks later.

U.S. commanders believe Qaim and other towns near the
Syrian border are a conduit for weapons and militants entering
Iraq and have repeatedly tried to shut the supply lines down,
apparently with little effect as militants continue to enter
the country.

Qaim, Karabila are in the Euphrates river valley, which
runs between the Syrian border and Baghdad. It is believed to
be the hiding place of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda’s Iraq
leader.

(Reporting by Ammar al-Alwani)