Friday, March 17 2006 16:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Al-Dawr (Iraq): US and Iraqi forces today(Mar 17,2006) entered the second day of a vast sweep to root out rebels loyal to Al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi north of Baghdad.

Some 1,500 US and Iraqi troops taking part in Operation Swarmer descended on an area northeast of the central city of Samarra yesterday, conducting search operations against rebels and members of the Al-Qaeda extremist Islamist group.

While some 48 people were detained and six weapons caches found, no insurgents were encountered, US force said. But the deputy governor of Salaheddin province, Abdallah Hussein, suggested at least one key insurgent leader had been apprehended.

"The rebels in the area are a mix of local nationals and foreign fighters," he said, including Jaish Mohammed, reckoning there were some 200 insurgents active in the area.

"We have their voices recorded along with their names and pictures," Hussein said.

Earlier US officials put the number of active insurgents in the area at around 40, but said they had yet to meet any.

"There has been no contact with the insurgents," admitted Major John Calahan of the 101st Airborne Division, a unit specialized in helicopter-borne air assaults that spearheaded the sweep.

"The aim of the operation is to dissuade anti-Iraqi forces from taking sanctuary here," he said, adding that 60 helicopters were involved in the operation.