HEYCHAL, Iraq — U.S. and Iraqi forces rounded up Tuesday about 150 men in the Zaab Corridor north of Hawijah, a persistent hotbed of insurgent activities.

The early-morning raid, dubbed Operation Boomerang, specifically set its sights on 30 individuals, some of whom are suspected of supporting or executing the detonation of improvised explosive devices. The IEDs, as well as their vehicle-borne version, have proven to be the most deadly method of attack against coalition forces.

Others arrested are suspected of taking part in a May 3 attack on Iraqi forces that left one soldier dead and 11 injured.

Army officials at Forward Operating Base McHenry, located near Hawijah, said they have made progress in clearing the corridor of anti-coalition elements, but acknowledge that work remains. Hawijah lies at the south end of the corridor, bounded on the west by the Tigris River.

Just last week a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Iraqi army recruiting office in Hawijah. The May 11 attack, the largest and deadliest of its kind to date, killed 40 people and injured 42 others.

The corridor was “a sanctuary where insurgents would come to live and hideout,” said Lt. Col. John Walsh, the commander of 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry, a Montana National Guard unit based at McHenry. The battalion is part of the 116th Brigade Combat Team, 42nd Infantry Division.

Tuesday’s operation also served as a template for what coalition forces in the area are aiming for in the weeks and months ahead: tactical operations in which indigenous forces take the lead.

Leading the raid, which focused on five points around the city of Heychal, were elements of two Iraqi army battalions as well as U.S. Special Forces personnel who served as advisers.

About 75 soldiers with Task Force Grizzly — the Montana men — were kept in reserve outside of town in case they were needed. They weren’t called because the operation unfolded without a hitch, said Maj. T.J. Hull, the battalion’s operations officer.

The assault took two hours and there was no resistance, Walsh said.

“There are a few [area insurgents] we’ve been looking for,” 1st Lt. Chris Caron said as he waited in a wheat field with the rest of the quick-reaction force. “Our objective is to train the Iraqi army to be self-sufficient.”

As of noon Tuesday, Iraqi security officials were still conducting their preliminary interviews. At least 12 of the 30 Iraqis on the target list had been apprehended, including two Iraqi police officers, Walsh said. When they were arrested, the two were wearing their police uniforms.

In addition to the arrests, Iraqi forces confiscated 134 AK-47s, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, three long rifles, two light machine guns and an AK-47 style gun, Hull said.