CNN.com - U.S.-Iraqi assault grabs insurgents, weapons

An Iraqi soldier patrols near Samarra Friday as part of Operation Swarmer.

OPERATION SWARMER

Target: Insurgents operating northeast of Samarra
Forces: Initially, 1,500 Iraqi and coalition troops, 200-plus tactical vehicles, 50-plus aircraft
Outlook: Operation expected to continue for days, with thorough searches planned
Results: Weapons caches already found, including stocks of artillery shells, explosives and bomb-making materials, as well as military uniforms

Source: U.S. Defense Department

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NEAR SAMARRA, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. and Iraqi forces ferreted out insurgents and weapons caches in a rural area north of Baghdad on Friday, U.S. military officials said, as Operation Swarmer entered its second day.

Soldiers detained at least 31 people and found more than half a dozen weapons caches in a 10-mile-by-10-mile area outside Samarra, U.S. military officials said.

"This operation was a follow-on to additional operations conducted prior to this in that general area," said Chiarelli.

"We conducted one about three weeks ago called Katrina, which gave us a lot of information about some of those cells and those operations."

The weapons caches contained artillery shells, explosives, material used to build roadside bombs, and military uniforms.

There have been reports during the war of insurgents conducting attacks while dressed in military or police garb.

About 1,500 people live in the area and 100 insurgents are thought to be operating there.

A U.S. soldier with Task Force Band of Brothers was shot and killed Thursday while manning an observation post in Samarra, the U.S. military said Friday.

The soldier was from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, the military said. The death brought the number of U.S. troops killed in the war to 2,314, according to U.S. military reports.

Operation Swarmer highlights what the U.S. military has been touting as the growing effectiveness and participation of Iraqi forces in the war effort.

The Pentagon has called it the largest air assault operation in Iraq since U.S.-led forces attacked almost exactly three years ago.

"This was a joint operation, perhaps more joint than those that we've seen in the past," Robertson said.

The offensive is focused on three villages where insurgents are believed to be based, according to Iraqi security sources. The targeted region is in Salaheddin province, a largely Sunni Arab region but with pockets of Shiite areas. Anti-U.S. sentiment is prevalent in the province.

Troops were looking for rebels suspected in lootings and killings, including the deaths of three Al-Arabiya television journalists killed while reporting on the February 22 bombing of the revered Al-Askariya Mosque in Samarra.

The bombing triggered deadly sectarian attacks that sparked fears of a civil war.

On Friday, about 900 U.S. and Iraqi troops were engaged in Operation Swarmer, said Maj. Tom Bryant, a spokesman for the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. Originally, about 1,500 forces took part in the offensive, which began at dawn Thursday.

More than 50 helicopters and 200 tactical ground vehicles were involved, the U.S. command in Baghdad said. Bryant said Iraqi troops slightly outnumber U.S. forces.

Other recent operations have included greater numbers of troops, but with a smaller Iraqi presence. For instance, November's Operation Steel Curtain against insurgents in Husaybah had 550 Iraqi troops supporting a force of 3,000 U.S. Marines, soldiers and sailors.

With President Bush's low approval rating in opinion polls and the growing unpopularity of the Iraq war, Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli denied that politics influenced the timing of the operation.

"There was no attempt on anybody's part back here to time this to anything other than the intelligence that was coming in. It was an operation that we had been working on for a couple of months," Chiarelli said, speaking via teleconference from Iraq to reporters.

Chiarelli was asked about the chances of civil war, talk which he said is "nothing new."

The "possibility of civil war may be higher today than it has been in the last three years, yet I believe we are still far away such an event," he said.

"I don't want to downplay the tragedy of the violence that has occurred, however it maybe unfair to characterize every post-22nd February event as sectarian in nature."

Chiarelli said Operation Swarmer shows the development of Iraqi forces over the past year, progress he calls "absolutely amazing."

A year ago, such an operation would have been conducted primarily by U.S. forces, he said.

"The Iraqi army is increasingly taking the lead in operations and taking over responsibility for battles faced. They did a phenomenal job in providing security around the country following the Samarra bombing," he said. "They demonstrated a true understanding of their role in a democratic government. They were Iraqis first, dedicated to securing their country without regard for their religious or affiliations."

The operation's second day marks the third anniversary of Bush's televised ultimatum to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. On March 17, 2003, Bush said, "Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict, commenced at a time of our choosing." One Iraqi looked back on how things have changed since the war began. (Full story)

U.S.-Iraqi assault grabs insurgents, weapons

Commander denies politics involved in timing of operation

OPERATION SWARMER

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