US, Iraqi troops battle militants

BAGHDAD -- With F-15 fighter jets and Apache helicopter gunships providing cover, US and Iraqi troops yesterday battled hundreds of Sunni Arab insurgents firing from apartment buildings and houses in downtown Baghdad in one of the fiercest clashes in the capital in recent memory.

"It was the most intense combat I have ever seen," said Major Jesse Pearson, operations officer for the 1st Battalion, 23d Infantry Regiment, Stryker Brigade, on his third tour in Iraq. "We were in a fight for 11 straight hours."

Along Haifa Street, a desolate, mostly Sunni Arab enclave of residential buildings and shops, more than 1,000 US and Iraqi troops descended early yesterday morning to retake the insurgent stronghold. The larger goal was to reassert the authority of the US-backed Iraqi government, weakened by sectarian and political divides and a failure to stem Iraq's violent slide.

Instead, the troops encountered strong resistance as the well-organized insurgents appeared determined to protect their turf or fight their way out, surprising US soldiers who fought in the battle.

By evening, as many as 50 insurgents had been killed, Iraqi officials said, while 21 others, including several foreign fighters, were captured, but only after the use of massive US firepower and technology. No American or Iraqi troops were killed, although some suffered light injuries, US military officials said.

With President Bush scheduled to unveil his new strategy for Iraq tonight, the battle on Haifa Street points to the nature of the conflict US forces could face in the weeks and months ahead. US generals and the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki view the taming of Baghdad as vital to the stability of Iraq. But the capital has become polarized more than ever along sectarian lines, with entire neighborhoods in the grip of either Sunni insurgents or Shi'ite militias.

"All sides are getting more desperate to enforce their will and increasingly they are capable of doing that," said Sergeant Israel Schaeffer, who is on his second tour in Iraq. "It's a pivotal point in the conflict."

"This is obviously their home turf," Pearson said. "They didn't like the idea of government forces entering their territory."

On Saturday, Maliki announced a new Baghdad security plan in which Iraqi forces, with US assistance, will lead the effort to expel militant fighters from neighborhoods.

Maliki and other Shi'ite leaders view Sunni insurgents as the root of the violence infecting Iraq. But Sunni politicians have accused the Shi'ite-led government of bolstering the power of Shi'ites at the expense of Sunnis.

Sunni legislator Khalaf al-Alayan, in an interview on al-Jazeera television, described the fighting on Haifa Street as a way to "clean Baghdad of the remaining Sunni elements." Alayan said he had contacted organizations such as the Arab League and the United Nations in hopes of stopping "these massacres that the Sunnis are subjected to."

In a statement, the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party described the 50 killed as "innocent citizens." It asserted that Sunnis on Haifa Street were "under siege" by Shi'ite militias backed by the Iraqi Army.

The fighting in the area began four days ago, when Iraqi soldiers killed 30 insurgents after uncovering what was described as an unauthorized checkpoint, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman.

Pearson said Iraqi Army commanders asked for US assistance after insurgents killed several Iraqi soldiers two days ago.

At 3.30 a.m. yesterday, about 400 US troops from the Stryker Brigade rolled toward Haifa Street, meeting up with Iraqi Army units along the way.

They arrived around 5.30 a.m. In the pre-dawn darkness, the joint forces took control of the buildings surrounding Tallil Square, a key target of the operation.

"We showed up in their living room for breakfast," Pearson said. Around 7 a.m., the trouble began.

"As soon as the sun came up, the insurgents began shooting," he said.