Many Insurgents Escape U.S.-Iraqi Sweep

[Barrett808]

Many Insurgents Escape U.S.-Iraqi Sweep
By JACOB SILBERBERG, Associated Press Writer

TAL AFAR, Iraq - Fighting eased Sunday, the second day of a U.S. and Iraqi sweep through the militant stronghold of Tal Afar near the Syrian border, as insurgents melted into the countryside, many escaping through a tunnel network dug under an ancient northern city.

Iraqi and U.S. military officials vowed to expand the offensive.

The 8,500-strong Iraqi-U.S. force continued house-to-house searches, and military leaders said the assault would push all along the Syrian frontier and in the Euphrates River valley.

Cities and towns along the fabled river are bastions of the insurgency, a collection of foreign fighters and disaffected Sunni Muslims, many of them Saddam Hussein loyalists.

About 5,000 Iraqi soldiers, backed by a 3,500-strong American armored force, reported 156 insurgents killed and 246 captured. The force discovered a big bomb factory, 18 weapons caches and the tunnel network in the ancient Sarai neighborhood of Tal Afar, 60 miles east of the Syrian border.

"The terrorists had seen it coming (and prepared) tunnel complexes to be used as escape routes," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said in Baghdad.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050911/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[catnhatnh]

1. Hey...no one could have forseen....

...that a US military adversary would use a tunnel system to escape...(snarf)

[Bob3]

2. melted into the countryside - sounds familiar yes?

We heard that a LOT during the Viet Nam war.

I always question these stories where they mention the Foreign fighters first like they are the main part of the insurgency. Which doesn't make sense. If for example Canada had been invaded by say the French and I wanted to help the Canadian Insurgency I would have to rely on locals to tell me what to do - I wouldn't know the ground at all. With out local help I would get killed or captured pretty damn quickly.

I don't dispute the existence of guerrillas (let's call them what they are okay?) fighters from outside Iraq but I don't think they are running they show.

And for the 256 captured read - people in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[0007]

3. Beep beep, ....As the Roadrunner is always two steps a head

of the Coyote.