Troops in Iraq Undaunted, U.S. Officer Says ( Hussein "irrelevant")

[kskiska]

Myers Sounds a Confident Note, Calls Hussein Irrelevant to Security

BAGHDAD, July 27 -- The highest-ranking U.S. military officer said today that U.S. troops in Iraq were "undaunted" by a deadly campaign of guerrilla attacks against them, and that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is "trying so hard to save his own skin" that he is having "no impact on the security situation here."

"We understand that there are going to be casualties," Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a 24-hour visit to meet with U.S. field commanders and civilian administrators here.

"But the most important thing is to understand why we're here," he said, after arriving in a formation of four Black Hawk helicopters on a landing pad formerly used by Hussein's Republican Guard. "The soldiers understand exactly what this is all about, and they are extremely motivated and extremely confident that they can fulfill their task."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54167-2003Jul27.html