This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6293759.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| New push to control Baghdad area | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Iraqi forces backed by US helicopter gunships have fought insurgents in a Sunni-dominated area in the centre of the capital, Baghdad. | |
| The US military said the operation in Haifa Street was part of the new plan to restore security to Baghdad. | |
| There have been reports of military and civilian casualties in the fighting. | There have been reports of military and civilian casualties in the fighting. |
| The battle came hours after President George W Bush urged the US to give his new strategy a chance to work, warning of "grievous consequences" of failure. | |
| In his annual State of the Union address to Congress, Mr Bush said that if the US stepped back before Baghdad was secure, "the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists from all sides". | |
| class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/6291229.stm">Bush asks for "a chance" class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/6292959.stm">Excerpts: State of the Union | |
| The new US strategy is take control of insurgent strongholds and then to hold them, rather than withdrawing and allowing the areas to be re-taken by anti-US insurgents and sectarian militias. | |
| An advance guard of 3,200 troops arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, part of President Bush's plan to send an extra 21,500 troops to Iraq. | |
| Machine-gun fire | Machine-gun fire |
| The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Baghdad says the latest operation began at dawn and for several hours afterwards loud explosions and frequent bursts of heavy machine-gun fire could be heard from the Haifa Street district. | |
| name="goback"> class="" href="#map">Map of divided Baghdad Witnesses said insurgents used rocket-propelled grenades and mortars and machine-guns against a joint force of US and Iraqi troops. | |
| Two insurgents were killed and at least seven people were detained, Iraqi and US officials said. | |
| A US military spokesman said there had been US casualties although he did not give any details. | A US military spokesman said there had been US casualties although he did not give any details. |
| There have also been reports of civilian casualties, but the US military said they had no information on this. | |
| A spokesman said ambulances would be allowed into the area. | A spokesman said ambulances would be allowed into the area. |
| Earlier, gunfire and mortar rounds were heard coming from another Baghdad district, al-Fadl, where five US civilians died on Tuesday when a US helicopter crashed after apparently coming under fire. | |
| Elsewhere in the city, gunmen killed a well-known professor and economist who presented a programme on Sharqiya television. | |
| Diya al-Meqoter was shot several times in the head and chest | Diya al-Meqoter was shot several times in the head and chest |
| He was known for supporting poor people needing loans to set up businesses, and he also headed Iraq's consumer association, a non-government agency which campaigned for fair pricing. | He was known for supporting poor people needing loans to set up businesses, and he also headed Iraq's consumer association, a non-government agency which campaigned for fair pricing. |
| Return to top | Return to top |