Diyala offensive bogs down in mud

30 TAMUZ, IRAQ — A five-day offensive into the troubled rural region east of Baghdad bogged down in the mud Monday after U.S. forces bombarded a warren of tunnels and canals where Sunni Arab insurgents were believed to be holed up.

An icy downpour turned dirt roads into muck that stuck to boots and wheels like cement and stopped American armored vehicles.

U.S. commanders poised for what they described as a final push against Al Qaeda in Iraq militants fired phosphorous shells to burn dead weeds and sent foot patrols to search fields and farm buildings. Despite the adverse conditions, American military officials remained optimistic about the offensive in Diyala province.

"Time is on our side," said Capt. Stephen Dobbins, a troop commander in the Army's 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry. "If the enemy is there in the canals, they're running out of food, and we have just bombed the hell out of them."

Monday night, an American soldier was wounded by friendly fire when an airstrike was called in against insurgents near U.S. positions, authorities said. A later strike later hit the insurgents, but there was no word on casualties.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have swept through sprawling farmland, combing hamlets for fighters, weapons and information. Troops have found numerous arms caches in the mostly Sunni village of 30 Tamuz. One man led soldiers to a canal at the back of his house and pulled an AK-47 assault rifle from the murky depths.

Most men in the village have left, with or without the women and children. U.S. planes dropped leaflets last week indicating that troops were on the way. Villagers told U.S. and Iraqi forces that the men raced off on motorcycles ahead of the offensive and were hiding in canals.

Read the rest at the LA Times

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