US forces stepped up operations yesterday across a wide swath of the Sunni insurgent strongholds in the northwest of the capital, pounding targets in three urban centers from the air and supporting Iraqi troops in raids on mosques suspected of harboring insurgents.
US warplanes struck twice early yesterday in insurgent-held Fallujah, destroying a popular restaurant and a house which the US command said were used by members of Iraq's most feared terrorist organization. At least five people were killed and two wounded, the city hospital said.
More air strikes were reported near Qaim, where hospital officials said between 15 and 20 Iraqis were killed, and in Hit, where two bodies were brought to the town hospital. US officials had no immediate comment on the reported strikes.
The US military command in Baghdad made no mention of the restaurant but said the target was used as a meeting place for the Tawhid and Jihad terror network, led by Jordanian-born extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The second blast occurred at 4:02am and flattened a building in northeastern Fallujah which the military said was a known terrorist safehouse.
Intelligence sources confirmed that al-Zarqawi associates were using the building at the time of the strike, a military statement said. At least three people were killed and two wounded in that blast.
Yesterday's strikes were the first since last Wednesday. The Iraqi government has reported progress in negotiations to restore control over the city.
Also yesterday, residents said US warplanes struck a civil defense compound east of Qaim, near the Syrian border. Details were sketchy, but city hospital official Hamid Ahmed Ali said between 15 and 20 people were killed in the strike.
US warplanes and helicopters struck in two parts of Hit yesterday morning, killing two people and injuring five, the hospital said. Residents went to the town hall to demand local authorities negotiate a cease-fire.
In nearby Ramadi, Iraqi forces backed by US soldiers and Marines raided seven mosques suspected of harboring terrorists, storing illegal weapons caches, promoting violence and encouraging insurgent recruitment, the US command said.
The latest violence came as Shiite fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City unloaded cars full of machine guns and grenade launchers on the second day of a five-day, weapons-for-cash disarmament program.
Meanwhile, Islamic insurgents released 10 Turkish hostages in Iraq and the employer of the former hostages said yesterday that his company will resume operations in Iraq because it was unclear whether the abductions were politically motivated or criminal.
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