A rchive Date
[ 15-06-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Iraq ]
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[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2003/06/15/112027-ap.html
U.S. troops stage massive operation for suspected militia leaders in Fallujah
By CHRIS TOMLINSON
Sun, June 15, 2003
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - Hundreds of U.S. Army troops supported by tanks and helicopters raided the restive town of Fallujah west of Baghdad early Sunday, arresting suspected militia leaders and seizing illegal weapons in a major operation. Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade targeted 16 buildings where intelligence reports indicated militia operations were underway or weapons stockpiled for use against U.S. forces.
The operation, called "Spartan Scorpion," was part of an intended nationwide crackdown to seize unauthorized weapons and militants following the end of an amnesty for anyone turning in illegal arms. The thrust by some 1,300 troops against the city 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the capital Baghdad lasted only three hours - shorter than expected - and met no resistance.
The troops arrested seven people from a single location who were suspected of being major figures in the resistance to the occupation of Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition. They were found with illegal weapons, bombs, bomb-making materials and illegal communications equipment, said Col. David Perkins, the brigade commander. An eighth armed man was arrested for violating the curfew.
"We had no casualties and none of the Iraqis were injured either," Perkins said, calling the mission successful. "We wanted to focus on the people providing the resources and the command and control, and I think we did that." He said the raids were narrowly focused so they would not disturb residents who are not involved in anti-American activities. He said major humanitarian deliveries would be made throughout the day Sunday.
Within an hour after dawn, the streets of Fallujah were filled with normal traffic, weaving alongside convoys of American Humvees and Bradley armored vehicles. The raids across Fallujah by Task Force 3-15, Task Force 1-64 and Task Force Enforcer began around 3 a.m., just three hours after a deadline for Iraqis to turn in heavy weapons under an amnesty program.
Hamid Mukhlif, 69, said about 30 armor-backed troops raided the school where he works as a security guard around 3:30 a.m. looking for weapons. Mukhlif, who sat with dozens of other residents at the mayor's office after the raid, said he was handcuffed, ordered to lie face down on the ground, then told to stand with his face against a light pole. He claimed the soldiers took 300,000 dinars (US$21) one US$100 bill.
"They didn't find anything except my rifle, which they allowed me to keep," he said. "Many of us come here to complain, but we know it's no use," said another man who refused to give his name. "We have no choice but to fight the Americans. Maybe they look at us and they see that we are sleeping, but we shall fight them to the death."
Hoping to offset ill will from the raid, a massive delivery of medical and school supplies, food and toys began moving into the town after dawn. The operation typified the kind of "carrot and stick" approach Perkins and other commanders have said was necessary to put down anti-U.S. forces, but to also win support of regular citizens.
Outside the school district office, an American army truck guarded by soldiers was unloading 2,000 meals of rice, crackers, beans and bread. "We don't need their help. Our homes are full of food, said Khalil Khaneif, an administrator of the boy's secondary school next door.
The 2nd Brigade entered Fallujah and the nearby towns of Habaniyah and Khaldiyah on June 4, tripling the number of U.S. troops in the area after repeated ambushes on supply convoys. The brigade's mission was to defeat anti-American militias and help restore local government offices and infrastructure.
Spartan Scorpion followed an extensive action last week, dubbed Operation Peninsula Strike, against the so-called "Sunni triangle" north and west of Baghdad. That operation was completed successfully, the military said Sunday.
About 60 of the 400 people detained during the search-and-seizure operation remained in custody for further interrogation, said the U.S. Central Command.
Among them were two former Iraqi generals of Saddam Hussein's army, Maj. Gen. Abul Ali Jasmin, the Secretary of the Defense Ministry, and Brig. Gen. Abdullah Ali Jasmin, Head of the Iraqi Military Academy.
With OH-1 KIOWA observation helicopters whirring overhead at the outset of the operation, one company of about 100 soldiers searched two compounds of six farm houses each in the northwest side of the city. Soldiers rousted the residents from their beds, including women and children, who were sleeping outside in the cool night air.
The troops, wearing night vision devices under a bright full moon, found two assault rifles. The soldiers returned the weapons and left, apologizing to the families for disturbing them.
Iraqi and U.S. military police said Saturday that few Iraqis were handing over weapons under the amnesty program because of the fragile security situation. On the final day before the deadline, weapons collection centers were largely quiet. The array of arms handed in - 162 anti-tank rocket launchers, 11 anti-aircraft weapons and hundreds of assault rifles and handguns - was only a fraction of the weapons remaining in Baghdad's streets.
As the program ended, the American civilian administrator of Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, warned that anyone found with an unauthorized weapon from Sunday onwards could be jailed for up to one year and fined. Iraqis were allowed to keep small arms, including assault rifles, in their homes and businesses for their own protection, but could not carry them in public, said Bremer's order, published after midnight.
"No one in Iraq, unless duly authorized, may possess, conceal, hide or bury" banned weapons, said the order. Family heirlooms also had to be meet the requirements.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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