Sgt Sostand
08-06-05, 03:06 PM
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. Marines and Iraqi troops pounded insurgents with bombs and tank cannons Friday during a major offensive along a stretch of the Euphrates River valley where 22 Marines were killed this week.
About 800 U.S. Marines and 180 Iraqi soldiers moved into Haqlaniyah, one of a cluster of western towns in Anbar province around the Haditha Dam that is believed to be a stronghold of Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters.
Heavy Abrams tanks battled insurgents armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, while U.S. jets destroyed at least four buildings - two of which were found booby-trapped with explosives, a U.S. military statement said.
"The wires were connected to numerous 155-mm artillery rounds scattered throughout both buildings," the military said.
Operation Quick Strike is the third major campaign since May aimed at rooting out insurgents and foreign fighters in the Euphrates valley, which is believed to be a major infiltration route for extremists entering Iraq from Syria.
On Wednesday, 14 Marines and a civilian translator were killed near Haditha when a huge roadside bomb wrecked their lightly armored vehicle. Two days earlier, six Marine snipers died in a firefight with insurgents. The Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sunnah claimed its men staged both attacks.
Two other Marines have died in Anbar this week - one from a car bomb, the other from small arms fire.
Residents said U.S. and Iraqi troops had cordoned off Haqlaniyah, about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, and were searching house to house. American warplanes prowled overhead and a number of heavy explosions were heard. Witnesses said 500-pound bombs were being dropped in the area.
The U.S. military has defended its operations in western Iraq, insisting it is reducing insurgent attacks despite the nearly two dozen Marine deaths this week. As of Thursday, at least 1,826 U.S. military personnel had died since the beginning of the Iraq war.
Iraq's leading Shiite Muslim cleric, meanwhile, signaled he wants Islam as the foundation of the country's legal system, setting the stage for a showdown next week as politicians struggle to finish the draft of a constitution by the Aug. 15 deadline.
In the holy city of Najaf, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari conferred with Shiite religious leaders, who wield strong influence among Iraq's majority Shiite population.
During the meetings, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani told al-Jaafari that he would like the constitution to enshrine Islam as the main source of legislation, the prime minister said.
"Ayatollah al-Sistani does not want to impose dictation on drafting the constitution, but according to my knowledge, he hopes that Islam becomes the main source of legislation," al-Jaafari said.
The role of Islam in the constitution has been one of the major sources of contention among the committee drafting the charter. Designating Islam as the main source of law is opposed by Kurds and some Iraqi women, who fear a major rollback of their rights.
The prime minister said al-Sistani also indicated he would not oppose a federal system for Iraq. That is hotly opposed by Sunni Arabs, who fear it would break up the country. But Kurds strongly support federalism so they can continue the self-rule they have enjoyed in the north since 1991.
"His eminence is not against the principle of federalism, because it is the choice of the people," al-Jaafari told reporters. "The details of the process are left to the constitution."
The prime minister said the issue of the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, from which Saddam Hussein displaced thousands of Kurds in the 1980s, should be solved according to Article 58 in the interim constitution.
Article 58 says all Iraqis, including Kurds, who were displaced during Saddam's regime have the right to return to their homes and receive compensation.
Political leaders are scheduled to meet Sunday to try to resolve remaining differences over the constitution.
Humam Hammoudi, chairman of the drafting committee, promised the National Assembly on Monday that the draft charter would be ready by Aug. 15 - provided compromises can be reached on key issues such as federalism, the role of Islam and distribution of national wealth.
American officials, who pushed hard to avoid an extension of the committee's work, consider the process vital to maintaining political momentum that they hope will undermine the insurgency and pave the way for U.S. and other foreign troops to begin withdrawing next year.
The prime minister also met with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters lost a fight with U.S. forces last year.
Al-Sadr encouraged Iraqis to vote in the referendum on the constitution and in the parliamentary elections to follow, but said he would not vote in the legislative balloting.
"I will not take part in the presence of occupiers, but I will give the freedom to whoever wants to join," he said.:marine: :marine: :marine:
About 800 U.S. Marines and 180 Iraqi soldiers moved into Haqlaniyah, one of a cluster of western towns in Anbar province around the Haditha Dam that is believed to be a stronghold of Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters.
Heavy Abrams tanks battled insurgents armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, while U.S. jets destroyed at least four buildings - two of which were found booby-trapped with explosives, a U.S. military statement said.
"The wires were connected to numerous 155-mm artillery rounds scattered throughout both buildings," the military said.
Operation Quick Strike is the third major campaign since May aimed at rooting out insurgents and foreign fighters in the Euphrates valley, which is believed to be a major infiltration route for extremists entering Iraq from Syria.
On Wednesday, 14 Marines and a civilian translator were killed near Haditha when a huge roadside bomb wrecked their lightly armored vehicle. Two days earlier, six Marine snipers died in a firefight with insurgents. The Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sunnah claimed its men staged both attacks.
Two other Marines have died in Anbar this week - one from a car bomb, the other from small arms fire.
Residents said U.S. and Iraqi troops had cordoned off Haqlaniyah, about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, and were searching house to house. American warplanes prowled overhead and a number of heavy explosions were heard. Witnesses said 500-pound bombs were being dropped in the area.
The U.S. military has defended its operations in western Iraq, insisting it is reducing insurgent attacks despite the nearly two dozen Marine deaths this week. As of Thursday, at least 1,826 U.S. military personnel had died since the beginning of the Iraq war.
Iraq's leading Shiite Muslim cleric, meanwhile, signaled he wants Islam as the foundation of the country's legal system, setting the stage for a showdown next week as politicians struggle to finish the draft of a constitution by the Aug. 15 deadline.
In the holy city of Najaf, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari conferred with Shiite religious leaders, who wield strong influence among Iraq's majority Shiite population.
During the meetings, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani told al-Jaafari that he would like the constitution to enshrine Islam as the main source of legislation, the prime minister said.
"Ayatollah al-Sistani does not want to impose dictation on drafting the constitution, but according to my knowledge, he hopes that Islam becomes the main source of legislation," al-Jaafari said.
The role of Islam in the constitution has been one of the major sources of contention among the committee drafting the charter. Designating Islam as the main source of law is opposed by Kurds and some Iraqi women, who fear a major rollback of their rights.
The prime minister said al-Sistani also indicated he would not oppose a federal system for Iraq. That is hotly opposed by Sunni Arabs, who fear it would break up the country. But Kurds strongly support federalism so they can continue the self-rule they have enjoyed in the north since 1991.
"His eminence is not against the principle of federalism, because it is the choice of the people," al-Jaafari told reporters. "The details of the process are left to the constitution."
The prime minister said the issue of the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, from which Saddam Hussein displaced thousands of Kurds in the 1980s, should be solved according to Article 58 in the interim constitution.
Article 58 says all Iraqis, including Kurds, who were displaced during Saddam's regime have the right to return to their homes and receive compensation.
Political leaders are scheduled to meet Sunday to try to resolve remaining differences over the constitution.
Humam Hammoudi, chairman of the drafting committee, promised the National Assembly on Monday that the draft charter would be ready by Aug. 15 - provided compromises can be reached on key issues such as federalism, the role of Islam and distribution of national wealth.
American officials, who pushed hard to avoid an extension of the committee's work, consider the process vital to maintaining political momentum that they hope will undermine the insurgency and pave the way for U.S. and other foreign troops to begin withdrawing next year.
The prime minister also met with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters lost a fight with U.S. forces last year.
Al-Sadr encouraged Iraqis to vote in the referendum on the constitution and in the parliamentary elections to follow, but said he would not vote in the legislative balloting.
"I will not take part in the presence of occupiers, but I will give the freedom to whoever wants to join," he said.:marine: :marine: :marine: