WASHINGTON, July 27: Iraq has become a “terrorist magnet” that is attracting fighters from a variety of countries to take the opportunity of attacking American troops, a top US Army commander said on Sunday.
Army Lt. Gen Ricardo Sanchez, commander of ground forces in Iraq, said in an interview on CNN’s “Late Edition,” the level of sophistication of attacks against US soldiers had increased over the last 30 days.
But he said the deaths of Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay on Tuesday would dampen the resistance.
“In the short term, we’re going to continue to see attacks against our American forces and our coalition forces across the country,” said Sanchez, interviewed from Baghdad.
“But I believe that the elimination of the Hussein brothers will go a long ways in ... bringing back some security and stability to Iraq.”
Five dead soldiers in 24 hours — 10 since US troops killed Saddam’s son — brought the number killed to 49 since May 1, when President George W. Bush declared major combat was over.
Sanchez said foreign fighters from “various places” were assisting Saddam loyalists in attacks on American troops. He did not say what nationalities the foreigners were, and said there was no evidence any country was sponsoring them.
“This is what I would call a terrorist magnet, where America, being present here in Iraq, creates a target of opportunity, if you will,” Sanchez said.
“We have to understand that we have a multiple-faceted conflict going on here in Iraq. We’ve got terrorist activity, we’ve got former regime leadership, we have criminals, and we have some hired assassins that are attacking our soldiers on a daily basis.”
But many Iraqis resent the US occupation and link the violence to anger over the way US troops behave. Between 6,000 and 7,800 Iraqi civilians are believed to have been killed since the war began on March 20, although no precise toll is available.
“I think as long as we’re present here in Iraq, we will always have the threat of terrorists coming to try to kill American and coalition soldiers, and that is something that we will have to contend with,” Sanchez said.
“The key that we must not lose sight of is that we must win this battle here in Iraq. Otherwise America will find itself taking on these terrorists at home.”
Sanchez, dismissed as “speculation” reports US troops missed capturing Saddam Hussein by 24 hours, but vowed Saddam will be “taken care of.” He said US forces tracking the former Iraqi president are working on the assumption Saddam is alive.
“The 24-hour story, that’s speculation. I’ll tell you that we are focused on Saddam Hussein. We’ve got to make the assumption that he is alive in order for us to prove to the Iraqi people that he is going to be taken care of,” Sanchez said.
“He remains a critical target for us. It is important that we find him, one way or another. And our mission is to kill or capture him...and we’ll accomplish that mission,” the US army commander said.
Sanchez insisted US forces were dealing adequately with the near-daily attacks on them, while admitting that “there has been an increase in the sophistication” of the attacks.
The US hunt for Saddam received a fresh boost on Friday with the capture of several of the toppled leader’s bodyguards in a raid just south of Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit.
Separately, Sanchez said the “disposition” of Saddam sons, Uday and Qusay, remains under consideration.
Asked when and how Uday and Qusay would be laid to rest, Sanchez replied: “The actual disposition of the remains is something that is being considered right now.”
He said the US authorities in Iraq are working with their Iraqi counterparts to examine possible options for their remains. —Reuters/AFP