CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, the U.S. military launches Operation Iron Hammer. It's striking at insurgents who have been conducting daily attacks on U.S. and coalition forces. Ben Wedeman following the developments. Let's head live to Baghdad so he can tell us more -- are the strikes still going on, Ben?</s>BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The new American get tough approach to security in Baghdad went into effect last night when they launched Operation Iron Hammer, designed to go after those behind attacks on coalition forces. In two separate parts of that operation, a U.S. Apache attack helicopter disabled a van from which, coalition officials say, mortars were being fired on their forces. In that incident, two men inside the van were killed, three wounded, and we are told five were captured. In the other incident, an AC-130 specter gunship went into action, destroying a warehouse which, according to coalition officials, belligerent elements were meeting, storing and rendezvousing to plan additional actions against U.S. forces. Meanwhile in Baghdad on Wednesday, one U.S. soldier with the 1st Armored Division was killed and another wounded by a roadside bomb. Meanwhile, in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, the death toll from yesterday's attack on the Italian paramilitary police headquarters at this point stands somewhere around 26, with 16 Italian police and soldiers killed, two civilians and as many as eight Iraqis killed in that incident. Now, the Italian defense minister, Antonio Martino, is in Nasiriyah meeting with the Italian troops, surveying the damage. The bodies from that incident will be flown back to Italy tomorrow. Now, this was the thirteenth vehicle bombing in Iraq since the 7th of August, when attackers went after the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad. Those bombings leaving at least 200 people dead. I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
In Iraq, U.S. Military Launches Operation Iron Hammer