16,000 assault al-Qaida in Iraq
Coalition forces are engaged in major offensive in Iraq
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Tuesday, 14, Aug 2007 04:25
US forces have launched a major operation against al-Qaida in the Diyala province of Iraq.
Over 16,000 personnel are engaged in Operation Lightning Hammer, which has already involved the use of attack helicopters, tanks and close-air support.
Military officials say the operation is an attempt to deny terrorists 'safe havens' in the area after previous efforts to push militants out of Baquba in June and July.
Major General Benjamin Nixon, commander of coalition forces in the north of the country, said: "We will aggressively and persistently target al-Qaida, an organisation that brings nothing but hatred, destruction, and disregard for the very foundation of the Iraqi peoples' principles and faith."
The operation is part of the much larger Operation Phantom Strike, a wider crackdown taking place across the country. This targets both al-Qaida and what coalition forces describe as "Iranian-supported extremist elements".
Elsewhere in Iraq three soldiers were killed by an explosion near their vehicle in Ninewah province.
And in Baghdad a suicide truck bomb attack destroyed a bridge linking the capital with the north of the country, leaving ten people dead.