Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

U.S. troops in central Iraq have detained scores of people in a new operation aimed at rooting out armed resistance and stemming almost daily attacks against coalition forces.

U.S. Central Command says 23 raids were conducted and 61 people detained on the first day of the campaign, called "Operation Sidewinder." Troops also confiscated weapons and documents.

Officials say the sweep is taking place across a large area of central Iraq, stretching from the Iranian border to areas north of the Iraqi capital. Targets include former Iraqi military leaders, loyalists of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party, and terrorists suspected of carrying out a series of hit-and-run attacks against U.S. forces. The operation began early Sunday and is expected to last several days.

Central Command says a just completed two-week operation (called "Scorpion") resulted in more than 1,300 detentions, and the recovery of weapons, ammunition and vehicles, as well as millions of dollars in cash and gold bars.

At least 22 American soldiers have been killed in attacks since May first, when President Bush declared the end of major combat in Iraq.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.