Military Claims Gains on Iraqi TerroristsBy KIM GAMEL
BAGHDAD, Iraq Jun 29, 2006 (AP)— The U.S. military claimed an advantage
in the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq on Thursday, saying raids since
the death of its leader have forced many of its foreign fighters out
into the open to be captured or killed.
Iraq's bloodshed continued. At least 46 deaths from violence were reported
across the country, including nine bullet-riddled bodies pulled from rivers
apparent victims of sectarian death squads.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraqi, acknowledged
Iraqi civilians were suffering most from the insurgency, accounting for 70
percent of all deaths and injuries, while he said the number of U.S.
casualties did not appear to be on the rise.
But he said the Americans gained momentum in its fight against al-Qaida
in Iraq after killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and have devoted a lot of resources
to targeting his successor as leader, Abu Ayyub al-Masri.