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| Sunday, 14 December 2003 |
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Attacks on US soldiers in Iraq have dropped to around 20 per day: Sanchez BAGHDAD, Dec 13 (AFP) The top US military commander in Iraq said Saturday attacks on coalition soldiers had fallen to around 20 per day after a deadly surge last month. Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez told reporters the average number of daily attacks had sunk to "around 20". "We have achieved a significant decrease in attacks," the general said, following November, which proved to be the deadliest month for US soldiers, with the number of daily attacks surpassing 35 and hitting 55 on one occasion. "We've been able to make effective headway against these terrorist and anti-coalition elements," he said, describing as crucial high-level assistance from Iraqis coming forward with intelligence on the enemy. A coalition spokesman said Thursday that attacks had averaged 21 per day over the previous week. Sanchez stressed the coalition was taking a step back from the dramatic raids of the last month and was looking to perform more "cordon-and-knock" style operations, where US forces seal off an area where they believe the enemy might be hiding and then approach the target. Sanchez has described the approach as sparing the civilian population and preventing US troops from alienating Iraqis. In November operations, US forces dropped bombs on suspected enemy hideouts, swooped down en masse on villages, and sealed off communities from the rest of Iraq, as they looked to deal a decisive blow to insurgents. |
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