U.S., Iraqi forces hit rebels south of Baghdad
U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a “fresh campaign” on Tuesday against insurgents 50 miles south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Iraqi SWAT security teams, backed by elements of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, pushed through Jabella in the Babil province and “captured 32 suspected insurgents, including a number of high-interest individuals, in a series of early-morning raids,” the military said in a written statement. Insurgent attacks increased in northern Babil in a counteroffensive that occurred during the Falluja offensive, according to the statement. The new operation — Operation Plymouth Rock — involves more than 5,000 Iraqi, U.S. and British forces, the statement said. Full Story