Dozens of explosions and heavy machinegun fire echoed across the capital overnight as aircraft buzzed overhead.
One hour of aircraft and artillery fire blasted craters into an abandoned lot once home to Saddam's anti-aircraft guns.
Residents do not expect the U.S. military firepower to deter insurgents from hiding in its dirt lots before ambushing American soldiers at nightfall.
"These guerrillas won't stop. They are not afraid. They carry out suicide attacks, why should they be worried about the Americans?" said Ahmed al-Mughrabi, a former soldier.
"All they do is wait for the Americans to finish their operations and then they sneak over to the lot from a nearby village and it starts all over again."
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The blasts from Operation Iron Grip rattled families in the night and left shrapnel on rooftops. People were cautious about discussing whether guerrillas were popular.
But an angry crowd gathered on the street to lash out at the U.S. administration ruling Iraq (news - web sites).
"What do the Americans expect. They abolished Saddam's security services and the army. Now all those people are sitting at home unemployed," said Salim Hussein.
"I worked for Saddam's security services and now I have no way to support five daughters. If somebody offered me money to kill an American I would definitely do it."
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