In Iraq, the U.S. has launched its second major offensive in the past four days in western Iraq. About 2,500 Marines, soldiers and sailors as well hundreds of Iraqi troops took part in what is being called Operation River Gate. Bridges across the Euphrates River between Haqlanaiyah and Haditha were bombed to prevent insurgents from using them. The Associated Press reports this is the largest U.S. offensive of the year in the Anbar province, a Sunni stronghold. On Saturday, about 1,000 U.S. troops launched a separate offensive near the Syrian border.