U.S. Forces Launch Iraq Offensive
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BAGHDAD, Iraq – American forces launched one of the biggest offensives in Iraq since the 2003 invasion yesterday, as President Bush reaffirmed his belief in the doctrine of pre-emptive action.
Only four days before the third anniversary of the invasion, more than 50 aircraft, mainly Blackhawk helicopters, and 1,500 soldiers were sent into one of the most troubled areas of Iraq. The main target was understood to be members of Al Qaeda, which has recently moved into the area and used it to mount a series of attacks on American and Iraqi forces.
Half the ground force was made up of Iraqi army units. With American public support for the war falling to a record low, the Pentagon is keen to show that Iraqi forces are starting to take control of their country’s security, a key pre-condition for the withdrawal of American troops. It is also desperate to counter the growing perception back home that Iraqi is slithering toward allout civil war.
The focus of the attack was northeast of Samarra, where the Golden Mosque was destroyed last month, sparking a wave of sectarian violence.
A Pentagon spokesman said the aircraft were “predominantly” Black Hawk helicopters being used to insert ground forces. “It’s not precision bombs and things like that,” he said.
The size of the operation indicates that fresh intelligence could have been received that an Al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is hiding in the district. Iraqi leaders have blamed him for organizing the destruction of the Golden Mosque.
Details of the situation on the ground remained sketchy last night. The military said a number of weapons caches had been found containing artillery shells, explosives, bomb-making materials, and military uniforms.
The offensive, named Operation Swarmer, came as America issued its first formal review of national security strategy since the Iraq war and made clear it had no regrets about having taken pre-emptive action against Saddam Hussein’s regime.
The new Bush administration policy statement issued in Washington gave a coded warning to Iran that it too could face military action if diplomacy failed to resolve the impasse over its nuclear ambitions.
