A year after seizing Baghdad with much fanfare, United States-led forces struggled on Friday to maintain crumbling control of much of central and southern Iraq against stiff resistance from Sunni and Shiite insurgents.
Occupation troops, facing a June 30 deadline for restoring Iraqi self-rule, were locked in fierce fighting or forced to back off in cities west, east and south of the capital as well as the key southern port of Basra.
The scenes of combat were in stark contrast to images of confident US troops rolling through the capital a year ago on Friday, greeted by enthusiastic Iraqis as they toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein.
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=33983
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore