The U.S. military says American troops in Iraq have detained about 190 people in raids aimed at crushing resistance from die-hard supporters of the Saddam Hussein regime.
A Central Command statement Tuesday says U.S. forces have conducted a total of 69 raids, around the cities of Baghdad, Tikrit and Kirkuk. Troops initially detained more than 400 people, but not all were held. Weapons and explosives were also seized.
Central Command 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.
U.S. officials blame groups loyal to Saddam for organizing attacks that have left more than 40 U.S. soldiers dead since the start of May, when the United States declared major combat operations in Iraq over.
In the latest incident, a military spokesman says an American soldier was killed by sniper fire while on patrol late Monday in northern Baghdad.
Meanwhile, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, has announced the creation of a new central criminal court to deal with the country's most serious criminal offenders. Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Baghdad, Mr. Bremer said the new court will help authorities crack down on individuals trying to undermine security and reconstruction efforts.
He also said Iraqi and coalition legal experts are working on reforms to Iraq's justice system, widely seen as corrupt during Saddam's years in power. He said the new justice system, when fully operational, would not accept evidence obtained by torture or let defendants appear in court without defense lawyers.
