30 militants reported dead as Iraq raids start

updated 3:52 p.m. ET Jan. 6, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq - In the opening battle of a major new drive to tame the violent capital, the Iraqi army reported it killed 30 militants Saturday night in a fire fight in a Sunni insurgent stronghold in the center of the city, just to the 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 relentless and open-ended bid to crush militant fighters bedeviling Baghdad.

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 that would call upon American troops and airpower 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."

Sunnis likely to balk
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 dumped earlier in the day.

Al-Suneid, who is also a member of parliament, said the new drive to free Baghdad from the grip of sectarian violence would focus initially on Sunni insurgent strongholds in western Baghdad.

Sunnis were likely to cry foul, 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, Muqtada al-Sadr.

An Iraqi army general said commanders of the force would operate independently, a sharp break with Iraqi military tradition of heavy central control, and would be held individually responsible for failed operations.

Any armed person in the streets faced automatic detention, he said, and would be shot if offering resistance, said the general on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.

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Al-Suneid and al-Maliki insisted that this drive to contain militants, as opposed to a largely ineffective joint operation with the Americans in the second half of last year, would succeed because it would be solely in the hands of Iraqi commanders who have been promised American backup and airpower if they call for it.

But U.S. political and military officials — in a message of congratulation on Army Day — tempered Iraqi claims that they were acting in full independence.

"As stated by the prime minister today, MNF-I (U.S. forces) will provide appropriate assistance as determined by Iraqi and coalition (American) field commanders, for the implementation of the new plan for securing Baghdad and its surrounding environs," said the statement from U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and overall American commander Gen. George Casey.

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