 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Al Qaeda shifts to northern, eastern Iraq: general
Washington (AFP) Nov 19, 2007 Al-Qaeda fighters have been pushed toward eastern and northern Iraq where violence is now the highest in the country despite an overall decline in attacks, a senior US officer said Monday. "What you see is that the enemy is shifting," Major General Mark Hertling, the new commander of Multi-National Division North, told reporters here via video link from Iraq. A turnaround by Sunni tribes in the western province of Al-Anbar has pushed Al-Qaeda fighters east, while US successes in securing Baghdad have driven others north from the capital, he said. "Whereas all types of attacks, but specifically IEDs (improvised explosive devices) have decreased throughout Iraq ... the north has the highest number of attacks in all of Iraq," Hertling said. The general said bombs account for more than half the attacks in his area of responsibility, but their number has dropped sharply in recent months from 1,830 in June to 900 in October. "We had 466 as of the 19th of November and for the same period of time last month, as of 19th of October, there were 520," he said. "The attacks are still much higher than I'd like in the north but they are continuing to decrease in numbers and scale of attack," he said. Hertling said 200 suspected Al-Qaeda cell members arrested in raids in early November were providing good intelligence. But he said it will be "a very tough fight" to eliminate Al-Qaeda and other extremist and insurgent groups in the north. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century
US defense head decries move to limit Iraq war funds
Washington (AFP) Nov 15, 2007US Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday decried a move by Congress to limit war funding for Iraq, saying it complicates the conduct of the war when US troops already are starting to leave. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
