U.S. and Iraqi forces launch operation across Baghdad to hunt for insurgents and illegal weapons

<br>BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) _ U.S. and Iraqi military forces launched a big operation Wednesday to weed out insurgents and seize illegal weapons, with troops, helicopters and armored vehicles raiding a suspected

Wednesday, March 17th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) _ U.S. and Iraqi military forces launched a big operation Wednesday to weed out insurgents and seize illegal weapons, with troops, helicopters and armored vehicles raiding a suspected arms market in the capital.

The campaign comes during a week in which gunmen, in two separate attacks, killed two Europeans and four American missionaries working on water projects. The six killings suggest the insurgents are going after civilians to undermine reconstruction efforts.

The operation that began Wednesday was called ``Iron Promise'' and was expected to involve thousands of U.S. troops from the Fort Hood, Texas-based 1st Cavalry Division, which has recently arrived in Iraq, and the outgoing Germany-based 1st Armored Division. Scores of Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers were also involved.

In the first raid, about 250 troops from the armored division's 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment as well as 250 Iraqi soldiers fanned out across the sprawling 20th Street Market, in the city's Al-Bayaa district, which sells everything from vegetables to used car parts.

In one car repair shop, U.S. troops found a pair of rocket-propelled grenade launchers and burlap sacks full of grenades. They arrested three men.

Some stores are suspected of supplying weapons to the rebels, said the raid's commander, Lt. Col. Chuck Williams, 40, from Sterling, Va. He said the market assault was the start of a citywide crackdown on the guerrillas.

``There is a lot of pressure everywhere. It is all over town. The big things we are looking for is people moving weapons, IED (improvised explosive device) materials and explosives and ammunition. Our soldiers are looking to deter or discover this activity. We want to shut it off,'' he said.

With helicopters hovering overhead, forces in Bradley fighting vehicles and Humvees circled the market to prevent rebels from escaping. Troops then went store to store searching for weapons and guerrilla suspects. Few residents criticized the search, and the mood was relaxed.

``There are so many places to run and hide. That's why we have to lock it down. We could easily spend a few days doing this. But we basically just want the bad guys to know that we are still here,'' said Maj. Gregg Softy, 38, of Hyde Park, N.Y.

U.S. officials say they have identified 14 rebel cells across Baghdad. Although raids on them in the past few months have disrupted their operations, they are still active.

Brig. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of 1st Armored, had said the operation would be timed to take advantage of the huge numbers of U.S. troops in Baghdad at the moment. Dempsey has some 45,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces at his disposal.

Dempsey said his unit spent two months gathering intelligence on targets to be raided: religious and political extremists, foreign fighters, Iraqi rebels and weapons caches. The operation will continue for the next few days, the military said.

Unidentified assailants fired mortars late Tuesday that smashed into a house in south Baghdad, killing two Iraqi children, local residents said.

Mortars on Tuesday night also hit the U.S. Forward Operating Base Falcon in south Baghdad, home to troops involved in Wednesday's raid on the market. There were no casualties.