By Xinhua
Baghdad : The US military said Tuesday that it launched a massive assault on the Al Qaeda north of Baghdad, involving around 10,000 US-Iraqi troops.
The soldiers, backed by aircraft and armoured vehicles, launched the offensive dubbed 'Operation Arrowhead Ripper' to eliminate Al Qaeda militants operating in and around Baquba, some 65 km northeast of here, the military said in a statement.
The US troops battled the insurgents in the area during night and killed 22 militants, it added.
Baquba, capital of volatile Diyala province, is the stronghold of Al Qaeda militants.
"The end state is to destroy the Al Qaeda influences in this province and eliminate their threat against the people," said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, Deputy Commanding General, operations, 25th Infantry Division.
"That is the number one, bottom-line, up-front, in-your-face, task and purpose," the statement quoted him as saying.