Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
BAGHDAD, Iraq - (AP) U.S. and Iraqi forces secured the town of
Husaybah after four days of fighting along the Syrian border and neutralized
al-Qaida-led insurgents there, the Marine commander said Tuesday.
"The city of Husaybah has been cleared and is secure at this time,"
Col. Stephen W. Davis told The Associated Press by telephone. "Right now we
are not getting any reports of resistance within the city" although pockets
of fighters may reappear, he said.
About 2,500 U.S. troops and 1,000 Iraqi soldiers on Saturday began
the assault on Husaybah, described as a major entry point for foreign
fighters coming from Syria bound for Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.
One of the goals of the operation, known as "Steel Curtain," was to
break the hold of al-Qaida and its Iraqi allies in the area before next
month's elections, in which Iraqis will choose a new parliament.
One U.S. Marine was killed during weekend in the operation, U.S.
officials said. The military said earlier this week that at least 36
insurgents had been killed since the assault began.
Davis said coalition forces have detained more than 150
military-aged men and they were being screened. He said three insurgents _
two Saudis and a Kuwaiti _ were killed by Iraqi troops Sunday when they
tried to slip into a camp for displaced civilians dressed as women.
He said the Marines and Iraqis would establish a long-term presence
in Husaybah to prevent insurgents from returning and would move on to other
areas in the Euphrates Valley where al-Qaida and their allies were believed
holed up.
In a statement earlier Tuesday, the U.S. military said troops
"continue to detain insurgents as they fight their way through the city."
"A number of the detainees have been foreign fighters who originated
from various countries within Asia and Africa," the statement added.
Husaybah after four days of fighting along the Syrian border and neutralized
al-Qaida-led insurgents there, the Marine commander said Tuesday.
"The city of Husaybah has been cleared and is secure at this time,"
Col. Stephen W. Davis told The Associated Press by telephone. "Right now we
are not getting any reports of resistance within the city" although pockets
of fighters may reappear, he said.
About 2,500 U.S. troops and 1,000 Iraqi soldiers on Saturday began
the assault on Husaybah, described as a major entry point for foreign
fighters coming from Syria bound for Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.
One of the goals of the operation, known as "Steel Curtain," was to
break the hold of al-Qaida and its Iraqi allies in the area before next
month's elections, in which Iraqis will choose a new parliament.
One U.S. Marine was killed during weekend in the operation, U.S.
officials said. The military said earlier this week that at least 36
insurgents had been killed since the assault began.
Davis said coalition forces have detained more than 150
military-aged men and they were being screened. He said three insurgents _
two Saudis and a Kuwaiti _ were killed by Iraqi troops Sunday when they
tried to slip into a camp for displaced civilians dressed as women.
He said the Marines and Iraqis would establish a long-term presence
in Husaybah to prevent insurgents from returning and would move on to other
areas in the Euphrates Valley where al-Qaida and their allies were believed
holed up.
In a statement earlier Tuesday, the U.S. military said troops
"continue to detain insurgents as they fight their way through the city."
"A number of the detainees have been foreign fighters who originated
from various countries within Asia and Africa," the statement added.