IRAQ: MILITARY LAUNCHES RAMADI COUNTER-ATTACK

"Baghdad, 2 Dec. (AKI) - A military contingent composed of 200 Iraqi soldiers and 300 Americans has launched a counter-attack on the city of Ramadi to the west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, which was seized by insurgents on Thursday. Some 24 hours after members of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, attacked US bases and the governor's office before taking control of the city with very little resistance from the Iraqi soldiers, leaders of the multinational force have announced the new offensive to regain control of Ramadi.

One military source told the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA that the operation was aimed at chasing the rebels out of the city and restoring security in the area ahead of the upcoming elections on 15 December. The US military has led four operations in the city in the last month, in an effort to secure the area for the elections.

Eyewitnesses said on Thursday they had seen some 200 armed militants take over a large part of Ramadi, and flyers had been put up declaring that al-Qaeda in Iraq had taken control of the city. Residents were reported to have barricaded themselves in their houses, fearing that clashes would break out between the hundreds of militants and US troops.

In a statement put out over the Internet, al-Zarqawi confirmed that he had dispatched most of his men to carry out the Ramadi operation."
AKI