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US forces under attack upto 25 times a day in Iraq: Franks
Washington, July 11: US forces in Iraq are targeted by as many as two dozen attacks each day, the recently-retired head of US Central Command told a Congressional panel.
Washington, July 11: US forces in Iraq are targeted by as many as two dozen attacks each day, the recently-retired head of US Central Command told a Congressional panel.
"On a given day there will be somewhere between 10 and 25 violent incidents," General Tommy Franks told a hearing of the House of Representatives armed service committee yesterday.
He said the number of US casualties in the region was not unexpected.
"I had hoped that we would see the total collapse of all resistance and that there would be no fractious behavior -- but I had never believed that that hope could be a reality," Franks hold the panel. To date, 31 US soldiers have been killed in hostile action since May 1, when the United States declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq.
"Part of the reason for that is that we go out looking for it," Frank said.
"We have our people every day not sitting in base camps, but rather out looking to find the Baathists, looking to find the jihadists, looking to find these people who cross the border from Syria and are hell-bent on creating difficulty." He said he was not expecting the threat to diminish in the short-run.
"We will continue to have these groups -- Fidayeen Saddam ... The jihadists who came in from Syria, some of the Baathists -- they are going to continue to seek out the vulnerabilities that we have as we move our convoys, and we will have to continue to be sure that these convoys are protected and armed," Franks said.
Bureau Report
He said the number of US casualties in the region was not unexpected.
"I had hoped that we would see the total collapse of all resistance and that there would be no fractious behavior -- but I had never believed that that hope could be a reality," Franks hold the panel. To date, 31 US soldiers have been killed in hostile action since May 1, when the United States declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq.
"Part of the reason for that is that we go out looking for it," Frank said.
"We have our people every day not sitting in base camps, but rather out looking to find the Baathists, looking to find the jihadists, looking to find these people who cross the border from Syria and are hell-bent on creating difficulty." He said he was not expecting the threat to diminish in the short-run.
"We will continue to have these groups -- Fidayeen Saddam ... The jihadists who came in from Syria, some of the Baathists -- they are going to continue to seek out the vulnerabilities that we have as we move our convoys, and we will have to continue to be sure that these convoys are protected and armed," Franks said.
Bureau Report