Baghdad, March 16
The US military today said it launched its biggest air offensive in Iraq since the 2003 invasion to root out insurgents near a town where recent violence raised fears of a civil war.
A military statement said the operation, involving more than 50 aircraft and 1,500 Iraqi and US troops as well as 200 tactical vehicles, targeted suspected insurgents operating near the town of Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad.
The statement said “Operation Swarmer” was launched this morning and was “expected to continue for several days as a thorough search of the objective area was conducted”.
— Reuters
