Post by Taxigirl on Nov 25, 2004 9:14:54 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4040689.stm
More than 50 people have been arrested by British soldiers following a major raid on suspected insurgent villages in central Iraq.
Five hundred Black Watch troops took part in one of the largest British operations since the war ended.
They targeted houses belonging to Saddam Hussein loyalists, recovering weapons, money and suspect video tapes.
Four British soldiers have died in a spate of attacks since the Black Watch replaced US forces at Camp Dogwood.
British military personnel are still questioning 24 of the detainees, some of whom are believed to be commanders of the recent insurgency against British and US forces.
Joint operation
The troops left Camp Dogwood, 20 miles (32km) south of Baghdad, at 2200 GMT on Wednesday to carry out the operation.
They targeted a specific stretch of road, nicknamed Millionaires' Row, where the elite of Saddam Hussein's regime owned luxury country houses.
The raids were part of an ongoing joint operation, codenamed Plymouth Rock, with the US Marines and newly trained Iraqi special forces.
While British forces swooped on Millionaires' Row, US and Iraqi forces raided another small village in the area.
BBC correspondent David Loyn, who is at Camp Dogwood, described how Warrior tanks knocked down the walls of some houses to gain entry.
He said troops had carried out a "house-by-house" operation, using stun grenades to disorientate the occupants before separating the men from the women.
There was "no fighting at all" between Black Watch troops and the suspected insurgents, but the troops had gone in hard, he said.
"This was very much not a 'hearts and minds' operation," he added.
Supply lines
A British military spokesman in Iraq said initial signs were that the operation had been a success.
He said: "We hope, with the help of the US Marines and Iraqi forces, to restore order and root out insurgents to make the area safe for the local population.
"Those detained will now be questioned and if there is no suggestion of involvement with recent activities they will be free to return to their homes."
Dan Plesch, military analyst at Birkbeck college in London, says the raids were vital to secure supply lines to coalition forces in Baghdad.
He told BBC News: "The insurgents may have been trying to cut off the Baghdad coalition headquarters from Kuwait."
"Preserving those supply lines is vital," he added.
The 850-strong British force has been attacked repeatedly since it took over from US Marines at the base.
The regiment's deployment at Camp Dogwood is due to end on 3 December.
More than 50 people have been arrested by British soldiers following a major raid on suspected insurgent villages in central Iraq.
Five hundred Black Watch troops took part in one of the largest British operations since the war ended.
They targeted houses belonging to Saddam Hussein loyalists, recovering weapons, money and suspect video tapes.
Four British soldiers have died in a spate of attacks since the Black Watch replaced US forces at Camp Dogwood.
British military personnel are still questioning 24 of the detainees, some of whom are believed to be commanders of the recent insurgency against British and US forces.
Joint operation
The troops left Camp Dogwood, 20 miles (32km) south of Baghdad, at 2200 GMT on Wednesday to carry out the operation.
They targeted a specific stretch of road, nicknamed Millionaires' Row, where the elite of Saddam Hussein's regime owned luxury country houses.
The raids were part of an ongoing joint operation, codenamed Plymouth Rock, with the US Marines and newly trained Iraqi special forces.
While British forces swooped on Millionaires' Row, US and Iraqi forces raided another small village in the area.
BBC correspondent David Loyn, who is at Camp Dogwood, described how Warrior tanks knocked down the walls of some houses to gain entry.
He said troops had carried out a "house-by-house" operation, using stun grenades to disorientate the occupants before separating the men from the women.
There was "no fighting at all" between Black Watch troops and the suspected insurgents, but the troops had gone in hard, he said.
"This was very much not a 'hearts and minds' operation," he added.
Supply lines
A British military spokesman in Iraq said initial signs were that the operation had been a success.
He said: "We hope, with the help of the US Marines and Iraqi forces, to restore order and root out insurgents to make the area safe for the local population.
"Those detained will now be questioned and if there is no suggestion of involvement with recent activities they will be free to return to their homes."
Dan Plesch, military analyst at Birkbeck college in London, says the raids were vital to secure supply lines to coalition forces in Baghdad.
He told BBC News: "The insurgents may have been trying to cut off the Baghdad coalition headquarters from Kuwait."
"Preserving those supply lines is vital," he added.
The 850-strong British force has been attacked repeatedly since it took over from US Marines at the base.
The regiment's deployment at Camp Dogwood is due to end on 3 December.