US forces block roads to Iraqi rebel town

BAGHDAD, June 18 (Reuters) US forces today blocked roads into the Iraqi rebel stronghold town of Ramadi, residents said, as the military said it was seeking to deny insurgents freedom of movement.

The US military declined to comment on whether American forces were surrounding parts of Ramadi, 110 km west of Baghdad, to try to cut off rebel supply lines.

A military spokeswoman confirmed ''ongoing operations'' in Ramadi, without giving details.

''Cutting off freedom of movement to the insurgents is key to affecting the counter insurgency,'' Major Megan M McClung told Reuters in an e-mail.

Residents in the area, which has seen frequent clashes between insurgents and US forces in recent months, said some roads into the town's southern part were closed, but that this was not unusual and that other roads were open.

Earlier this month, a US military spokesman said Al Qaeda had gained ground in Ramadi and that 1,500 extra US troops brought to Iraq to help fight them would be used to try to break their grip on the town.

The US military has not suggested publicly that a big offensive is expected in Ramadi. But U.S. military officials appear to be focusing more on the town, capital of Anbar province, the insurgent heartland in western Iraq.

Ramadi has emerged as the biggest hotspot in Iraq after a major US military offensive crushed al Qaeda militants and insurgents in 2004 in nearby Falluja, a former rebel bastion.

REUTERS SBA KP1805