thedrifter
06-19-06, 05:19 AM
U.S. steps up hunt for soldiers
The search for two troops abducted in deadly attack fans out as military rings insurgent stronghold.
Richard A. Oppel Jr. / New York Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- American forces have intensified their search for two soldiers missing and reportedly held captive by insurgents, widening their pursuit to areas beyond the restive town of Yusufiya, where the missing servicemen were attacked Friday.
The expanded search effort came as American troops ringed the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi with new checkpoints and outposts over the weekend in an effort to break the grip that insurgents now hold on that city. Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, has been the scene of some of the fiercest regular battles between U.S. troops and insurgent fighters.
Some Sunni Arab leaders have said they fear American forces are preparing to begin an offensive in Ramadi in an effort to wipe out insurgent groups that have taken control of much of the city, similar to the November 2004 assault on Fallujah by the Marines.
An American military official in Baghdad said Sunday that no such offensive was planned. "We're trying to separate the insurgents from the rest of the people," the official said. "There are a lot of rumors flying around that people think it's another Fallujah. It's not."
Residents of Yusufiya, south of the capital, said they saw the two soldiers snatched by insurgents after the soldiers were attacked Friday evening at a checkpoint south of town. One soldier was killed in the attack.
The military said the search effort includes unmanned drone aircraft, helicopters, and boats and divers searching canals and the Euphrates River.
Ellie
The search for two troops abducted in deadly attack fans out as military rings insurgent stronghold.
Richard A. Oppel Jr. / New York Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- American forces have intensified their search for two soldiers missing and reportedly held captive by insurgents, widening their pursuit to areas beyond the restive town of Yusufiya, where the missing servicemen were attacked Friday.
The expanded search effort came as American troops ringed the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi with new checkpoints and outposts over the weekend in an effort to break the grip that insurgents now hold on that city. Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, has been the scene of some of the fiercest regular battles between U.S. troops and insurgent fighters.
Some Sunni Arab leaders have said they fear American forces are preparing to begin an offensive in Ramadi in an effort to wipe out insurgent groups that have taken control of much of the city, similar to the November 2004 assault on Fallujah by the Marines.
An American military official in Baghdad said Sunday that no such offensive was planned. "We're trying to separate the insurgents from the rest of the people," the official said. "There are a lot of rumors flying around that people think it's another Fallujah. It's not."
Residents of Yusufiya, south of the capital, said they saw the two soldiers snatched by insurgents after the soldiers were attacked Friday evening at a checkpoint south of town. One soldier was killed in the attack.
The military said the search effort includes unmanned drone aircraft, helicopters, and boats and divers searching canals and the Euphrates River.
Ellie