BAGHDAD, Dec. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- US and Iraqi forces on Friday launched Operation Shank in western Iraq to eradicate the seedbed of terror attacks, the US military said in a statement.

   "Approximately 200 Iraqi Army soldiers and 300 Marines, assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, launched Operation Harba (War) today in Ramadi," the statement said.

   It said the purpose of the operation is to "disrupt a terrorist group that utilizes Ramadi as its base for attacks on local citizens and soldiers."

   On Thursday, al-Qaida group in Iraq launched mortar attacks on US bases in Ramadi as its gunmen seized the streets.

   Ramadi, 100 km west of Baghdad, has long been a bastion of insurgency against US and Iraqi troops.

   US and Iraqi troops have waged a series of offensives in the volatile western Iraq over the past few weeks. Enditem