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

Posted on: Saturday, 1 October 2005, 03:30 CDT

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)

Source: REUTERS

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