The U.S. military says coalition forces in Iraq have detained 371 people during the latest operation aimed at rooting out resistance from loyalists of the ousted Iraqi regime.
A Central Command statement issued Monday says the arrests were made as U.S. forces conducted raids in Baghdad and near the cities of Tikrit and Kirkuk.
The U.S. military says the operation, named Desert Scorpion, is designed to root out Baath Party loyalists and other guerrillas while at the same time delivering humanitarian aid. It comes in the wake of a series of attacks that have left more than 40 U.S. soldiers dead since the start of May, when the United States declared major combat operations over in Iraq.
In the latest incident, a military spokesman says an American soldier was killed by sniper fire while on patrol late Monday in northern Baghdad.
Earlier, the military said rocket-propelled grenades were fired at two separate military convoys north of Baghdad Sunday, leaving seven American soldiers wounded. In one of the assaults, U.S. military officials say a grenade hit a civilian bus that was passing the convoy.
Also Monday, a blast ripped through a road tunnel near Baghdad often used by U.S. troops, damaging an Iraqi civilian car and wounding at least one Iraqi. U.S. troops say the explosion may have been from a bomb or landmine.
There was some fighting Monday around the town of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, but no injuries were reported.
U.S. military officials say they are continuing to flush out armed groups and confiscate illegal weapons throughout the country, while at the same time continuing humanitarian missions.
A U.S. Central Command statement Monday said coalition units are helping to repair roads and pipelines and establish a police training academy.
