Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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US Military Launches Combat Operation in Western Iraq
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(http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DEBBBF:3919ACA

Operation comes one day after US military said it had captured leader
of Mosul branch of al-Qaida

The U.S. military says it has launched a major combat operation in
western Iraq against insurgents.

Military officials say "Operation Spear" began early Friday in Iraq's
restive Anbar province, near the Syrian border. Witnesses told the
Reuters news agency U.S. aircraft and ground forces involved in the
operation launched heavy attacks on insurgent positions around the
city of Qaim, near the border.

The operation comes one day after U.S. the military said it had
captured the leader of the Mosul branch of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Also Thursday, at least six Iraqi police were killed and more than 20
others wounded in a suicide car bombing on Baghdad's airport road. And
an Iraqi judge and his driver were gunned down in the northern city of
Mosul.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.




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