The U.S. military said on Thursday it had launched its biggest air offensive in Iraq since the 2003 invasion of the country.
A military statement said the operation involving more than 50 aircraft and 1,500 Iraqi and U.S. troops as well as 200 tactical vehicles targeted suspected insurgents operating area near the town of Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad. [The collateral damage will kill thousands of innocent - most likely women and children - and further destroy Iraq's already crumbling infrastructure. SAD DAY]