"This area must be cleansed," he said at a joint news conference with Rear Admiral Mark Fox, a US military spokesman. "God willing, Haifa Street will not threaten Baghdad security anymore."
Mr Al-Dabaggh said former Baathists in the area "provided safe haven and logistics for" terrorist groups trying to destabilise Iraq.
Rear Admiral Fox said the US military would support the Iraqi security forces. "Anyone who conducts activities outside the rule of law will be subject to the consequences," he said.
Nearly 1000 US and Iraqi soldiers participated in Tuesday's fighting. Fifty suspected insurgents were killed and 21 were arrested, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence said. Three of those arrested were Syrian, the ministry said.
Planes and helicopters circled over the bullet-scarred buildings during the fighting, and gunfire and explosions echoed throughout central Baghdad.
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