BAGHDAD, Iraq – In the opening battle of a major drive to tame the violent capital, the Iraqi army reported it killed 30 militants Saturday in a firefight in a Sunni insurgent stronghold just north of the heavily fortified Green Zone.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, speaking only hours earlier at a ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of the Iraqi army, announced his intention for the open-ended attempt to crush the militant fighters who have left Baghdad in the grip of sectarian violence.
Hassan al-Suneid, a key aide and member of al-Maliki’s Dawa Party, said the Iraqi leader had committed 20,000 soldiers to the operation and would call upon American troops and air power only when needed.
A stern al-Maliki told the nation the operation in Baghdad would continue “until all goals are achieved and security is ensured for all citizens.
“We are fully aware that implementing the plan will lead to some harassment for all beloved Baghdad residents, but we are confident they fully understand the brutal terrorist assault we all face,” he said.
State television said eight militants, including five Sudanese fighters, were captured in the battle near Haifa Street, a Sunni insurgent stronghold on the west bank of the Tigris where police reported finding the bodies of 27 torture victims earlier in the day.
Al-Suneid, who is also a member of parliament, said the new drive would focus initially on Sunni insurgent strongholds in western Baghdad.
Sunnis were likely to object, given that a large measure of today’s violence in Baghdad is the work of Shiite militias, loyal to al-Maliki’s key political backer, the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
An Iraqi army general said commanders would operate independently, a sharp break with Iraqi military tradition of heavy central control, and would be held individually responsible for failure.
Any civilians carrying arms faced automatic detention, he said, and would be shot if they resisted, the general said.
U.S. military deaths
Latest identifications reported by the military of U.S. personnel killed in Iraq:
Army Sgt. Thomas Vandling, 26, Pittsburgh, was killed Monday by an explosive near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq; assigned to the 303rd Psychological Operations Company, Oakdale, Pa., a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Army Pvt. David Dietrich, 21, Marysville, Pa., died Friday from small-arms fire in Ramadi; assigned to the 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.
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