40,000 pounds of bombs pummel al-Qaida

40,000 pounds of bombs pummel al-Qaida
By Christopher Chester - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 10, 2008 13:28:28 EST

BAGHDAD — U.S. bombers and jet fighters unleashed 40,000 pounds of explosives during a 10-minute airstrike Thursday, flattening what the military called al-Qaida in Iraq safe havens on the southern outskirts of the capital.

The strikes, carried out above approaching troops, was part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a nationwide campaign launched Tuesday against al-Qaida in Iraq.

A military statement said two B-1 bombers and four F-16 fighters dropped the bombs on 40 targets in Arab Jabour in 10 strikes. Al-Qaida fighters are believed to control Arab Jabour, a Sunni district lined with citrus groves and scarred by daily violence.

“Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds,” the statement said.

The attack came a day after the U.S. military reported that nine American soldiers were killed north of the capital in the first two days of a new offensive.

Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_airstrikes_080110/