U.S. troops stage show of force in Iraq

TIKRIT, Iraq -- Backed by tanks and mortars, U.S. forces assaulted dozens of suspected guerrilla positions in Saddam Hussein's hometown before dawn Monday, killing six alleged insurgents and capturing 21, officials said.

Faced with a deteriorating security situation, the military in past days has reacted with heavy raids and dramatic bombings in central and northern Iraq in an effort to intimidate the resistance. U.S. forces fired a satellite-guided missile armed with a 500-pound warhead at a target near Tikrit on Monday, the second use of the weapons in as many days.

U.S. forces carried out more than 38 attacks from Sunday night to early Monday, destroying 15 suspected safehouses, three training camps and 14 mortar firing points.

The military also announced soldiers arrested a suspected organizer of the Fedayeen guerrillas, who are responsible for anti-U.S. violence.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Italian official Marco Calamai resigned from the U.S.-led administration running Iraq, saying it has only angered Iraqis and encouraged attacks with its policies. He said only an interim authority headed by the United Nations could turn things around.

The CIA said Monday the latest purported Saddam audio message cannot be authenticated. The tape urged Iraqis to escalate attacks against the occupation.

France's foreign minister said Monday that the new plan to end American occupation still moves too slowly. Dominique de Villepin urged the Americans to have a provisional government in place by year's end, while the new U.S. formula, announced Saturday, calls for a provisional government to be established by June.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed Monday in separate incidents near the town of Balad, 45 miles north of Baghdad, the military said.