U.S. Troops Hunt Guerrillas, but No Sign of Saddam

[Wonder]

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TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. soldiers hunting Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants just missed capturing one senior target in an overnight raid near the fugitive former president's home town of Tikrit, officers said.

About 300 soldiers with armored vehicles and backed by helicopters fanned out to villages north and east of Tikrit under cover of darkness Sunday night in a major manhunt.

The U.S. military blames die-hard Saddam loyalists -- and some foreign Arab fighters -- for a guerrilla campaign that has killed 53 American troops since Washington announced the end of major hostilities in Iraq on May 1.

The 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division has mounted several recent raids in the Sunni heartland north of Baghdad, hunting guerrillas and associates of Saddam. The U.S. military says scores have been detained.
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http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3213391&src=eDialog/GetContent