US Hits Iraqi Villages Near Syria

More than 1,000 US troops, backed by helicopter gunships and jets, yesterday launched a major offensive against Iraqi villages on the Syrian border, claimed to be in areas used by al-Qaeda.

The latest attack was launched just two weeks before a referendum on a controversial new constitution for Iraq and after a week that has seen more than 200 Iraqis, mainly Shias, die in gun and bomb attacks.

President George Bush told Americans in his weekly radio address yesterday that there were increasingly optimistic signs in Iraq. He also said Iraqi forces were performing with increasing effectiveness, thus moving towards eventual US withdrawal from the country. 'I'm encouraged by the increasing size and capability of the Iraqi security forces,' Bush said.

He added that the Iraqi army had 100 battalions operating all over the country and praised their ability to work in towns secured by US forces. That was in direct conflict with what General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, testified to Congress last week. He said that only one of the 100 Iraqi battalions could operate without US help. That number was down from the three battalions several months ago. Casey also denied that 'fairly substantial' US troop withdrawals could begin next spring.

The difference between the White House and the military reflects political concerns in the Bush administration that the Iraq war has become so unpopular in the US that it will damage mid-term elections next summer. A clear majority of Americans now believe that the war was a mistake and Bush's approval rating has slumped.

This weekend's offensive in Iraq came after numerous efforts to close down what US and Iraqi government sources claim is one of the major al-Qaeda routes into Iraq via Syria.

The US troops launched Operation Iron Fist in the early hours of Saturday against what the US military called a 'known terrorist sanctuary' in the area of the village of Sedea, near Qaim, seven miles from the Syrian border.

It is at least the third large-scale offensive US forces have conducted in the area in four months. Previous operations appear to have failed, as the insurgents have quickly returned to reoccupy the towns and resume guerrilla activities.

Iraqis will vote on a new draft constitution on 15 October amid a general escalation in violence across the country, much of it claimed by al-Qaeda in Iraq, a group headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.