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US-led coalition is holding 20 suspected Qaeda members
Baghdad, Nov 11: The US military has detained 20 men thought to have ties with Osama bin Laden`s al-Qaeda terror group, the top US ground commander in Iraq told reporters today.
Baghdad, Nov 11: The US military has detained 20 men thought to have ties with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror group, the top us ground commander in Iraq told reporters today.
"We have up to 20 suspected al-Qaeda members," Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez said, adding they were still under investigation and had not yet been proven to
belong to bin Laden's organisation.
"We are seeing Yemenis, we are seeing Sudanese, and we are seeing Syrians and Egyptians," he said about cross-border traffic.
He said the fighters, if they were not al-Qaeda, had possibly received some financing and training from bin Laden's organisation or other "international terror groups." Sanchez put the number of foreign fighters in Iraq at "probably a couple of hundred." He added: "We know that they are coming in and out and we know where they are coming through."
Terrorism is set to intensify in Iraq over the next few months, US overseer Paul Bremer told the times of London on Monday, saying "several hundreds" of professional terrorists had sneaked into Iraq.
"We're going to have increased attacks and increased terrorism because the terrorists can see the reconstruction dynamic (in Iraq) is moving in our direction," Bremer told the newspaper.
Bureau Report
"We are seeing Yemenis, we are seeing Sudanese, and we are seeing Syrians and Egyptians," he said about cross-border traffic.
He said the fighters, if they were not al-Qaeda, had possibly received some financing and training from bin Laden's organisation or other "international terror groups." Sanchez put the number of foreign fighters in Iraq at "probably a couple of hundred." He added: "We know that they are coming in and out and we know where they are coming through."
Terrorism is set to intensify in Iraq over the next few months, US overseer Paul Bremer told the times of London on Monday, saying "several hundreds" of professional terrorists had sneaked into Iraq.
"We're going to have increased attacks and increased terrorism because the terrorists can see the reconstruction dynamic (in Iraq) is moving in our direction," Bremer told the newspaper.
Bureau Report