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American, British and Iraqi troops are continuing
their effort to root out insurgents south of Baghdad, in an operation
aimed at clearing the way for elections to be held in January.
Iraqi officials say dozens of insurgents have been captured in an area
known as the "Triangle of Death." The latest offensive began Tuesday, with
about 5,000 American, British and Iraqi troops combing through small towns
south of Baghdad, in the hunt for more insurgents.
A senior official with Iraq's Interior Ministry says dozens of
insurgents have been taken into custody since the operation began. The same official
says the operation will continue through the week. Troops are conducting
house-to-house raids, in an
effort to suppress the insurgency, prior to elections, scheduled to be
held January 30.
It is believed many insurgents slipped out of Fallujah, prior to the
American-led assault on that once-rebellious Sunni Muslin stronghold. The
latest operation began with troops, backed by helicopters and jet
fighters, pouring into an area known as the "Triangle of Death."
British and American forces worked to seal off potential escape routes,
while Iraqi forces work to hunt down insurgents. An interior ministry
official says the latest raids were in areas that had previously not seen
a military presence. He says it is believed many insurgents from Fallujah
had moved into small towns south of Baghdad. He says the latest operation
is part of a larger plan to move through the entire Sunni Triangle, in an
effort to root out insurgents and crush the violence.
The latest military operation follows a call by the Association of
Muslim Clerics in Iraq to boycott January's national election, in protest
of the invasion of Fallujah and the continuing presence of American troops
in Iraq. | 
