Simply Politics and News

[Chris McConnel]

At least things are getting better in Iraq, or at least Bush said so. US forces now blowing up bridges to control the insurgents. "Bomb the village to save it."


US forces bomb Iraq's Euphrates bridges

October 06 2005 at 09:58AM

Baghdad - US-led forces have bombed eight bridges on the Euphrates River in western Iraq to stop insurgents using them, US military spokesperson Major General Rick Lynch said Thursday.

"We have been taking out portions of bridges with precision strikes," he told a news conference.

Of 12 bridges between the Syrian border and Ramadi, 110km west Baghdad, "four remain under control of the coalition forces and Iraqi forces after precision strikes on the others," he said.

"One of the vulnerabilities of this insurgency is freedom of movement," he added.

"We took out portions of these bridges to deny terrorists, foreign fighters and insurgents the capability to cross north to south or south to north across the Euphrates River."

He explained that the missing sections of bridges could be repaired with pontoons.

Some 4 800 US-led multinational forces and 4 200 Iraqi security forces are currently involved in a series of sweeps in the western province of Al-Anbar to hunt down insurgents.

Lynch also warned that insurgents meant to launch a new wave of attacks in Baghdad ahead of the October 15 referendum on the draft constitution.

"It is predictable that over the nine next days, we will register a significant number of attacks in Baghdad," he said.

He was speaking shortly after at least two suicide bombers and one roadside bomb killed at least 11 people and wounded about 20 in the capital on Thursday. - Sapa-AFP


http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=qw1128610260414B262