Tornado Alley (PROG)

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(COMTEX) B: U.S. troops launch offensive as 29 die in rebel ambush of elite Iraqi police unit ( AP WorldStream )

Dec 29, 2004 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces launched a new offensive Wednesday against rebels in an area south of Baghdad dubbed the "triangle of death," while rebels ambushed an elite Iraqi police unit in a Baghdad neighborhood known for its loyalty to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, killing 29 people in a massive explosion.

Meanwhile, an insurgent group that had claimed responsibility for the Dec. 21 suicide bombing of a U.S. base in Mosul - in which 22 people were killed - warned Iraqis not to take part in elections scheduled for Jan. 30.

"We also warn everyone to keep away from all military targets, whether they were bases, American Zionist patrols, or the forces of the pagan guard, and police," Ansar al-Sunnah said.

The group is believed to be made up mainly of Sunnis, and has focused on targeting Americans and those viewed as collaborating with them and has avoided civilian targets. The latest warning comes two days after Osama bin Laden urged Iraqis to boycott the elections and praised attacks against Americans and those who cooperate with them.

The explosion hit the staunchly Baathist neighborhood of Ghaziliya late Tuesday as a contingent of special police and national guards were about to raid a house after receiving an anonymous tip. The blast killed 29 people, including seven officers, and damaged a dozen nearby homes, a police spokesman said.

Between 700 and 800 kilograms (1,700 to 1,800 pounds) of explosives were used in the blast, a U.S. military statement said. American soldiers and Iraqi troops searched the rubble for survivors through the night and rescued one civilian.

It was not immediately clear whether any of the casualties were guerrillas, who appeared to have lured the police into the building. The area is a predominantly Sunni Muslim neighborhood where support for Saddam Hussein has traditionally been strong.

Insurgents have intensified their strikes against the security forces of Iraq's U.S.-installed interim government as part of a continuing campaign to disrupt the Jan. 30 elections for a constitutional assembly. Government troops are supposed to protect polling stations, and the rebel strategy - which includes attacking police stations, checkpoints and patrols - appears to be aimed at demonstrating the security forces are incapable of handling the job.

Brig. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, assistant commander of the 1st Cavalry Division that controls Baghdad, said Wednesday that U.S. troops had begun a major anti-insurgency operation south of Baghdad, focused on areas such around Mahmoudiya, a town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the capital.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have come under repeated attacks by car bombs, rockets, and small arms fire in the area, dubbed the "triangle of death." The latest operation came after a weeklong campaign in November and early December to root out insurgents in the area.

U.S. commanders had hailed the November offensive to retake Fallujah as a major tactical victory, but violence elsewhere in Iraq has only escalated since the main insurgent bastion 40 miles west of Baghdad fell. The vast majority of the estimated 6,000 guerrillas based there apparently slipped out to northern Iraq and the area south of Baghdad, which includes Mahmoudiya.

"We believe that many insurgents that left Fallujah settled throughout areas in Baghdad and specifically in southern sector of Baghdad and north of Babylon," Hammond said.

In Crawford, Texas, President George W. Bush on Wednesday denounced calls by Sunni leaders to boycott the upcoming elections, saying that the balloting marks a crossroads for Iraq.

"The stakes are clear in this upcoming election," Bush told reporters at his Texas ranch. "It's the difference between the ability for individuals to express themselves and the willingness of an individual to try to impose his dark vision on the world, on the people of Iraq and elsewhere. It's very important that these elections proceed."

Top U.S. commanders have acknowledged that the insurgent offensive is expected to continue in the run-up to the ballot.

In the northern city of Mosul, two car bombs exploded as a U.S. patrol was passing Wednesday, wounding two soldiers and damaging a vehicle, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Hastings said.

U.S. forces who returned to the scene took small arms fire and then called in helicopter airstrikes. Five insurgents were killed and four more U.S. soldiers were wounded, Hastings said.

Meanwhile, Iraq's interim government sought to boost the efficiency of its security forces by merging of its paramilitary National Guard and the nascent armed forces. The move appeared to be an effort to streamline Iraq's security apparatus ahead of the elections and bring its forces under centralized command.

The Defense Ministry announced Wednesday that the National Guard, a 35,000-man paramilitary force raised last year in the expectation that it would take over the internal security role from U.S. troops, will formally be incorporated into the new Iraqi army on Jan. 6.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's government placed the National Guard - which was initially known as the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps - under Defense Ministry command alongside the armed forces.

Also Wednesday, Iraq's deputy prime minister Barham Saleh said former dictator Saddam Hussein will likely be brought to trial early next year.

A special tribunal handling the case of Saddam and 11 other members of his regime has not announced a date when full trials will begin. Saddam and the other defendants appeared in court in Baghdad in July on charges of war crimes and genocide.

By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer

Copyright 2004 Associated Press, All rights reserved

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