February 11, 2009 5:14 PM
- Text
8 Captured In Iraq Security Crackdown
(CBS/AP)
U.S. and Iraqi troops captured eight suspected insurgents Thursday in raids north of Baghdad as part of a campaign to prevent insurgents from regrouping outside the city during the ongoing security crackdown.
The operation took place in Duluiyah and the Jabouri peninsula — a bend in the Tigris River about 55 miles north of Baghdad — part of the Sunni areas around Baghdad where insurgents have fled since the crackdown in the capital began last month.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said the security operation would be extended beyond the city limits to target these areas, which he referred to as "the Baghdad belt."
Petraeus did not put a time limit on how long the additional troops might remain in Iraq, but he said they're likely to be there beyond the summer, reports CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan.
"The priority clearly is Baghdad, (but) anyone who knows about security in Baghdad knows you must also secure the 'Baghdad belts'— in other words, the areas that surround Baghdad," Petraeus told reporters at his first news conference since taking command last month.
Petraeus said the security operation would continue as long as necessary "to achieve its desired effect."
"We are still in the early days of this endeavor — an endeavor that will take months, not weeks, to fully implement," Petraeus said.
Petraeus acknowledged that some kinds of attacks are almost impossible to stop, reports Logan.
"There is a point at which if someone is willing to blow up himself, particularly, perhaps, disguise himself, and use a vest rather than a vehicle, the problem becomes very, very difficult indeed," he said.
Petraeus also said he had not decided whether to ask for additional troops beyond the 21,500 combat forces already earmarked for Baghdad. The last of the reinforcements are due in early June, he said.
In other developments:
The embassy of the Republic of Georgia said Thursday the former Soviet republic is raising the number of soldiers it has with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq to more than 2,000 from its current 850.
The Pentagon has approved a request by the new U.S. commander in Iraq for an extra 2,200 military police to help deal with an anticipated increase in detainees during the Baghdad security crackdown, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said. Gates also cited early indications that the Iraqi government is meeting the commitments it made to bolster security, although he cautioned that it was too early to reach any firm conclusions about the outcome.
In a direct challenge to President Bush, House Democrats unveiled legislation Thursday requiring the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the fall of next year. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the deadline would be added to legislation providing nearly $100 billion the Bush administration has requested for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Violence across Iraq Wednesday left about 90 people dead. The deadliest attack, a cafe bombing northeast of Baghdad, killed more than 30 people. According to a police officer, a suicide bomber detonated the explosive in a cafe in Bala Ruz. In addition to the 30 killed, dozens were injured.
The New York Times reported that the operational commander, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, recommended that the extra troops remain until February 2008. Odierno said the extra troops are needed to allow time to win over the Iraqi populace.
The operation took place in Duluiyah and the Jabouri peninsula — a bend in the Tigris River about 55 miles north of Baghdad — part of the Sunni areas around Baghdad where insurgents have fled since the crackdown in the capital began last month.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said the security operation would be extended beyond the city limits to target these areas, which he referred to as "the Baghdad belt."
Petraeus did not put a time limit on how long the additional troops might remain in Iraq, but he said they're likely to be there beyond the summer, reports CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan.
"The priority clearly is Baghdad, (but) anyone who knows about security in Baghdad knows you must also secure the 'Baghdad belts'— in other words, the areas that surround Baghdad," Petraeus told reporters at his first news conference since taking command last month.
Petraeus said the security operation would continue as long as necessary "to achieve its desired effect."
"We are still in the early days of this endeavor — an endeavor that will take months, not weeks, to fully implement," Petraeus said.
Petraeus acknowledged that some kinds of attacks are almost impossible to stop, reports Logan.
"There is a point at which if someone is willing to blow up himself, particularly, perhaps, disguise himself, and use a vest rather than a vehicle, the problem becomes very, very difficult indeed," he said.
Petraeus also said he had not decided whether to ask for additional troops beyond the 21,500 combat forces already earmarked for Baghdad. The last of the reinforcements are due in early June, he said.
In other developments:
The New York Times reported that the operational commander, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, recommended that the extra troops remain until February 2008. Odierno said the extra troops are needed to allow time to win over the Iraqi populace.
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