US and Iraqi troops captured eight suspected insurgents Thursday in raids north of Baghdad as part of a campaign to prevent insurgents from regrouping outside the city during the ongoing security crackdown. The operation took place in Duluiyah and the Jabouri peninsula - a bend in the Tigris River about 90 kilometers north of Baghdad - part of the Sunni areas around Baghdad where insurgents have fled since the crackdown in the capital began last month.
The top US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said the Baghdad security operation would be extended beyond the city limits to target which areas, which he referred to as "the Baghdad belt." "The priority clearly is Baghdad, (but) anyone who knows about security in Baghdad knows you must also secure the `Baghdad belts' - in other words the areas that surround Baghdad," Petraeus told reporters at his first press conference since taking command last month. |