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| Iraq |
| US forces swoop on arms held by Saddam loyalists |
| 2003-07-12 |
| The American army last night launched a pre-emptive strike against renegade Iraqi fighters around Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit after evidence that they have been stealing and stockpiling weapons for attacks on coalition forces. In an operation codenamed Ivy Serpent, Task Force Ironhorse, a force of 26,000 soldiers American based in Tikrit, began a series of raids targeting Fedayeen paramilitaries, Baath Party loyalists and other "insurgents" still loyal to Iraq's former dictator. The American sweep, which is expected to last for several days, follows the discovery of increasing quantities of illicit weapons in the Tikrit valley. Weapons uncovered in recent days included shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, capable of destroying helicopters and aircraft, large quantities of rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov machine-guns and extensive supplies of ammunition. Artillery and tank shells, often adapted to make booby traps or bombs, have also been found. On Friday, The Telegraph witnessed the discovery of an anti-tank missile, three mortars, nine Kalashnikovs, ammunition, and a gas mask, all buried close to an isolated farmhouse in the southern Tikrit valley, owned by a suspected Fedayeen operations officer in the area. American officers say that persistent looting at the 140 weapons dumps of Saddam's former regime discovered in the Tikrit valley since the end of the war is a further sign that Saddam's supporters are intensifying efforts to weaken the coalition's control of Iraq. Informers have told them that much of the looting is instigated by Fedayeen and Baath Party remnants, who pay locals to steal weapons that can then be used to attack American forces. Lt Col Bill MacDonald, a spokesman for Task Force Ironhorse — which is mostly comprised of the United States 4th Infantry Division — confirmed that a renewed offensive was under way against opponents of coalition forces, including Saddam himself. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |