U.S., Iraqis apply force to rough Baghdad area

BAGHDAD, Iraq — In one of the fiercest battles in the capital in recent months, U.S. and Iraqi troops, backed by American F-15 jet fighters and Apache attack helicopters, fought suspected insurgents for at least 12 hours Tuesday in one of Baghdad's most dangerous neighborhoods in what may be a preview of expanded U.S. operations here.

North of Baghdad, meanwhile, a cargo plane carrying mostly Turkish workers crashed as it apparently tried to land at a U.S. air base in bad weather, killing 34 people, Iraqi and Turkish officials said.

U.S. and Iraqi officials said the assault on the Haifa Street neighborhood rooted out an insurgent cell that controlled the area, but residents from the predominantly Sunni Muslim area and Sunni leaders said the American forces had been duped by Iraq's Shiite-dominated security forces into participating in a plan to drive Sunnis from the area.

By evening, as many as 50 insurgents had been killed, Iraqi officials said, while 21 others, including several foreign fighters, were captured, but only after the use of massive U.S. firepower and technology. No American or Iraqi troops were killed, although some suffered light injuries, U.S. military officials said.

On the eve of President Bush's announcement of a new war plan for Iraq, the conflicting versions underscored the difficulty U.S. troops have in protecting civilians in this sprawling capital where Shiites and Sunnis are waging pitched battles for control of the neighborhoods.

U.S. officials said Tuesday's operation wasn't aimed at any religious sect, but at insurgents who for months have controlled Haifa Street, about 1 ½ miles from the Green Zone.

Haifa Street was handed over to Iraqi forces in February of last year in an effort to slowly place the capital under Iraqi control and pave the way for an American exit.

But in the past few months, the area became wracked by violence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.