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Al-Kut surrenders
After days of negotiations, religious and civic leaders of Kut handed over administrative control of the city Sunday to the U.S. Marines' Task Force Tarawa. The Marines will serve as temporary administrators, allowing locals to perform as many governmental functions as possible. Iraqis trained by U.S. forces will be armed with weapons seized from the defeated Iraqi army and will patrol the city to counter any paramilitary fighters that might try to attack U.S. forces. And to control looting... Intelligence reports had suggested that Kut, a settlement of 300,000 along the Tigris River, may have contained suicide bombers from other countries looking to launch attacks against U.S. troops. But the reports appear to be outdated, and it "looks like the terrorists may be gone," a Marine told CNN correspondent Art Harris, embedded with the 2nd Marines. They acknowledge, though, that pockets of resistance still pose a threat. Residents told coalition forces that they had shot and killed several terrorists and driven the rest out of town. Not a single shot was fired as members of Marine Task Force Tarawa sent a convoy into the city Saturday, Marine sources said. Must... control... urge... to... ululate! Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-04-13 |
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