U.S. and Iraqi troops met sporadic resistance Saturday at the start of a new offensive against insurgents in western Iraq.

The U.S. military says 2,500 U.S. service members and a thousand Iraqi soldiers are participating in the operation, dubbed "Steel Curtain."

U.S. jets have carried out nine airstrikes on insurgent strong holds, killing an unconfirmed number of suspected al-Qaida in Iraq militants. There have been no reports of Iraqi or American fatalities.

The military says it is providing temporary shelter, food and security to about 400 displaced residents from the Husaybah area, affected by the offensive.

The operation aims to restore security along the porous Iraqi-Syrian border and destroy the al-Qaida in Iraq network which operates in the Euphrates River Valley.