US-Iraqi troops wage offensive against insurgents in Ramadi
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-26 17:05

Hundreds of US and Iraqi soldiers launched on Saturday a new offensive against insurgents in the flashpoint city of Ramadi, the US military said.

"Approximately 550 Iraqi army soldiers and US soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team attached to the 2nd Marine Division, kicked off Operation Tigers (Nimur) this morning in the Ma'Laab District of eastern Ramadi," the military said in a statement.

The Operation Tigers consists of approximately 150 Iraqi soldiers and 400 marines. They are conducting cordon and searches, blocking off known terrorist escape routes, and searching for weapons caches in the targeted areas, according to the statement.

The new offensive is the forth in a series of "disruption operations" by the US marines and Iraqi army in the volatile province of Anbar.