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| Iraq |
| US Troops Down Attacker, Nab Saddam Ally in Tikrit |
| 2003-08-06 |
| EFL U.S. troops in Saddam Hussein’s home town said they gunned down a guerrilla fighter on Wednesday and detained another suspect from a ring that may be helping protect fugitives from Saddam’s inner circle. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment which is spearheading the hunt for anti-U.S. resistance in the city, told reporters his patrol fired on a man who seemed to be preparing to fire a rocket- propelled grenade (RPG) in the early hours of the morning. "Our soldiers saw a man armed with an RPG...He was sneaking through an alleyway," he said, holding up a black, Iraqi-made grenade launcher of a type commonly used. "He actually had the RPG loaded...My guys, they just opened up." "Nobody will see me in this alley. I’ll just sneak....Ouch!" It was not clear if he was killed as, by the time reinforcements arrived to check the area, there was no sign of him. Iraqi guerrillas generally remove their dead and wounded to avoid U.S. forces identifying them. "The soldiers saw him fall," Russell said. "There is no doubt that we hit him and pre-empted their attack." "We will engage and kill anyone armed with an RPG," he said. U.S. and U.S.-backed Iraqi forces do not use them. Smart move that, the bad guys just love their RPGs. He said his battalion had killed eight or nine fighters in the past three weeks or so, wounded four and captured a dozen. Of those involved in attacking U.S. forces many were the sons of families closely tied to Saddam’s clique. Russell said that suggested to him that the resistance had trouble recruiting. "I think they’re eating the seed corn," he said. That’s a good sign. His forces were also continuing to round up more senior organizers of guerrilla attacks who may also be involved in shielding high-level members of the old regime. On Tuesday, he said, Iraqi police mounted a raid and seized a brother of Adnan Abdullah Abid al-Musslit, a close personal bodyguard of Saddam’s family who was himself arrested around Tikrit a week ago. They were still hunting other brothers. So far, the new Iraqi police seem to be doing a good job. Russell said his troops would soon begin training an initial 35 Iraqis as a civil defense force to supplement the city police and relieve police and U.S. soldiers of guard duties around key infrastructure sites. That’s good, get our guys off guard duties where they make too good a target. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 So far, the new Iraqi police seem to be doing a good job. Every society has some decent folk that believe in law and order and want to raise their families in a safe environment. I hope this desire for security and safety takes root with more Iraqis and spreads like wildfire. |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-8-6 11:24:15 AM |
| #1 LTC Russell's name has been in the press quite a bit. Talk about a tough task, working the Triangle. But he seems to be accessible and frank to the press. Wonder what a typical day for him entails. Keep it up, LTC. |
| Posted by: Michael 2003-8-6 10:58:19 AM |