A Coalition Soldier scans surrounding buildings while sitting in a Humvee turret. More than 550 Iraqi Security Force personnel with 600 Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers began a clearing operation in Sadr City Sunday. Courtesy photo.

In Sadr City, Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, with two Stryker companies from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, began their combined clearing operation early Sunday morning, teaming up with the 8th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, and the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division.

"During operations [Sunday], local residents were receptive and cooperative with Coalition and Iraqi forces," Lt. Col. Scott R. Bleichwehl, Multi-national Division-Baghdad spokesman, said. "The operation is designed to set secure conditions for the citizens of Sadr City."

Bleichwehl said no weapons caches were reported or suspects detained. He added there were no incidents of violence, and no casualties to the Coalition force, Iraqi Security Force or civilians.

Meanwhile, operations in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, over the last few days, have resulted in numerous terrorists being killed or detained and the discovery of hostages.

A Coalition assessment following an air strike in Arab Jabour Sunday led to the rescue of four Iraqi citizens and the uncovering of a terrorist weapons cache.

Four Iraqi citizens were liberated from a building near the site of Saturday’s air strike, officials said. One of the hostages told military officials the terrorists holding them fled immediately after the air strike.

All four hostages were treated at the scene for various injuries. One of the hostages said he had been held captive for 50 days.

At the site of the air strike, ground forces also found remnants of an anti-aircraft heavy machine gun known as a DShK, as well as rocket-propelled grenades and grenade launchers. A DShK tripod was found dug into the ground along the Tigris River, along with spent ammunition cartridges.

Coalition force members called in the air strike Saturday after they began receiving small-arms fire from several armed men across the Tigris River and were unable to safely subdue enemy fire.

Two precision-guided bombs destroyed a small structure and killed seven terrorists hiding inside.

A large secondary explosion was noted after the initial bombs were dropped on the target, officials said, indicating the presence of explosive material within the structure.

Elsewhere, Soldiers from Task Force 1-319 and the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, detained more than 50 insurgents during three days of operations focused on terrorist cells in Abu Ajeel, Wynot, and Owja near Tikrit in Salah ad Din.

Paratroopers from Task Force Loyalty’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn. Div., detained more than 40 personnel in the Abu Ajeel area with assistance from an Iraqi emergency services unit and the Iraqi Army.

The operation disrupted a roadside-bomb cell that has been operating in the area as well as detaining an insurgent cell leader who has been spearheading attacks against Coalition and Iraqi security forces in recent months, officials said.

Soldiers from Task Force Loyalty's Battery B detained more than 10 insurgents involved with financing and executing attacks on Coalition forces in the towns of Wynot and Owja. During the raids, members of Battery B engaged numerous insurgents, killing three who were poised to conduct a roadside ambush on Coalition forces during the operation.

(Compiled from Multi-National Force-Iraq and Multi-National Corps-Iraq press releases)

In other developments throughout Iraq:

• Iraqi Security Forces conducted operations March 5 with Coalition forces advisers in Karbala targeting rogue Jaysh Al Mahdi elements.

• Soldiers from Task Force 1-319 and the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division detained more than 50 insurgents during three days of operations focused on terrorist cells in Abu Ajeel, Wynot, and Owja near Tikrit in Salah ad Din.