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http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1358195,00.html
SAS joins US forces in major Iraq offensive
Jamie Wilson with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Camp Kalsu, Babil, and Richard Norton-Taylor
Wednesday November 24, 2004
The Guardian
British special forces joined an offensive yesterday involving more than 5,000 US and Iraqi troops, backed by fighter bombers and helicopters, aimed at regaining control of insurgent strongholds in central Iraq.
The operation - dubbed Plymouth Rock - appears to mark an escalation in the role of the SAS in Iraq.
But the number of British special forces engaged in the operation would be fewer than a hundred.
A senior British military spokesman at Kalsu described the operation as a "concentrated effort to deal with the post-Falluja insurgent operation. We are upping the ante and are expecting it to be a relatively intense period of operations."
He said British troops would have US assets, including aircraft, placed at their disposal.
Earlier reports from the area, that Black Watch troops were joining the offensive against Iraqi towns, were strongly denied by the Ministry of Defence in London. But it is understood that an American statement referring to British "forces" was a reference to the SAS.
The MoD insisted the regiment had not changed its task. The regiment's "primary role remains one of maintaining stability in the north Babil area", cutting off insurgents attempting to flee or reinforce others in towns south of Baghdad, the MoD said.
The US marines are describing the operation as the first major offensive to regain control of an insurgent stronghold outside of Baghdad since the attack on Falluja.
It began yesterday morning with raids on more than a dozen homes in the small market town of Jabella. Thirty-two men believed to have been involved in attacks against US troops, Iraqi national guardsmen and civilians were arrested.
Captain David Nevers, spokesman for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said last night that British forces would be playing a key role in the operation. "They bring a wide range of capabilities to bear that will be enormously useful to us," he said.
Intelligence sources estimate there are more than 300 insurgents operating within the Black Watch area, consisting mainly of Saddam Hussein regime loyalists but also some foreign Arab fighters.
SAS joins US forces in major Iraq offensive
Jamie Wilson with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Camp Kalsu, Babil, and Richard Norton-Taylor
Wednesday November 24, 2004
The Guardian
British special forces joined an offensive yesterday involving more than 5,000 US and Iraqi troops, backed by fighter bombers and helicopters, aimed at regaining control of insurgent strongholds in central Iraq.
The operation - dubbed Plymouth Rock - appears to mark an escalation in the role of the SAS in Iraq.
But the number of British special forces engaged in the operation would be fewer than a hundred.
A senior British military spokesman at Kalsu described the operation as a "concentrated effort to deal with the post-Falluja insurgent operation. We are upping the ante and are expecting it to be a relatively intense period of operations."
He said British troops would have US assets, including aircraft, placed at their disposal.
Earlier reports from the area, that Black Watch troops were joining the offensive against Iraqi towns, were strongly denied by the Ministry of Defence in London. But it is understood that an American statement referring to British "forces" was a reference to the SAS.
The MoD insisted the regiment had not changed its task. The regiment's "primary role remains one of maintaining stability in the north Babil area", cutting off insurgents attempting to flee or reinforce others in towns south of Baghdad, the MoD said.
The US marines are describing the operation as the first major offensive to regain control of an insurgent stronghold outside of Baghdad since the attack on Falluja.
It began yesterday morning with raids on more than a dozen homes in the small market town of Jabella. Thirty-two men believed to have been involved in attacks against US troops, Iraqi national guardsmen and civilians were arrested.
Captain David Nevers, spokesman for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said last night that British forces would be playing a key role in the operation. "They bring a wide range of capabilities to bear that will be enormously useful to us," he said.
Intelligence sources estimate there are more than 300 insurgents operating within the Black Watch area, consisting mainly of Saddam Hussein regime loyalists but also some foreign Arab fighters.
