U.S. launches big operation south of Baghdad: military

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Around 8,000 U.S. forces launched a fresh operation on Monday targeting Islamist al Qaeda militants in farmland south of Baghdad, the military said.

The operation, called Marne Avalanche, is designed to stem the flow of weapons and militant fighters into the southern part of the capital, where U.S. and Iraqi forces are already fighting hard to clear them out, the military said in a statement.