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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (211263)	11/9/2004 5:46:59 PM
From: Alighieri	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 1573835

U.S. Says Insurgent Leaders Likely Fled Falluja 2 hours, 16 minutes ago Top Stories - Reuters By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior leaders of the insurgency and al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi likely escaped from Falluja before U.S. Marines stormed into the city, a top U.S. general said on Tuesday. "I think we are looking at several more days of tough urban fighting," Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, in charge of day-to-day U.S.-led military operations in Iraq (news - web sites), told reporters at the Pentagon (news - web sites), as thousands of U.S. and allied Iraqi forces pressed their assault to gain control of the rebel-held city. Metz said there had been "a dozen" U.S. casualties in the operation, but did not specify whether he meant a dozen U.S. troops killed or a dozen killed and wounded. "Friendly casualties are light," Metz said in a video teleconference briefing from Iraq. "Enemy casualties, I think, are significantly higher than I expected," Metz added, but declined to provide a number. U.S. officials have said senior leaders of the insurgency that rose up after the overthrow of President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had used Falluja as a safe haven, but Metz indicated some had departed the scene before the ground assault began on Monday. "I personally believe that some of the senior leaders probably have fled. I would hope not, but I've got to assume that those kind of leaders understand the combat power we can bring and the fact that we will free Falluja of the anti-Iraqi forces," Metz said. He said there are insurgent leaders, who he did not identify, still in Falluja "orchestrating the battle to the best of their ability, which it appears not to be very good." He said the insurgents, numbering about 2,000-3,000, were fighting in groups of three to six people, and showing little coherence since the initial U.S.-led assault on Monday. Asked specifically about Jordanian-born Zarqawi, Metz said, "It is fair to assume he has left." Metz, the No. 2 U.S. officer in Iraq, said he believed 50 percent to 75 percent of the residents of the city of 300,000 had left the city before the assault. "We have seen very few civilian casualties," he said, without providing any numbers. "We're a little ahead of schedule. I would say the coming days will tell us whether or not the enemy is thickening as he moves back into the city, or we are killing the enemy, or capturing the enemy or pushing the enemy back," he said. "I think the enemy is fighting hard, but not to the death, and I think that they are continuing to fall back," he said.

To: tejek who wrote (211263)	11/9/2004 7:36:19 PM
From: RetiredNow	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 1573835

Yes, I figured that would happen. Once again, crappy execution, which is why I voted for Kerry. I don't know who is calling the shots over there, but it was stupid to broadcast our imminent attack for several weeks. I know they did that to save civilian lives, but in the process they allowed the top insurgents plenty of time to escape and set up camp somewhere else. It's the same darn thing they did in Afghanistan. If only Bush and friends could execute well, we've be in a whole different ballgame by now. Very disappointing.