[New York Times] Edward Wong - Sunni Arab militant groups suspected of having ties to Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia have established training camps east of Baghdad that are turning out well-disciplined units willing to fight American forces in set-piece battles, American military commanders said Thursday. American soldiers fought such units in a pitched battle last week in Turki, a village in Diyala province, bordering Iran. At least 72 insurgents and two American officers, both West Point graduates, were killed in more than 40 hours of fighting including 12 hours of airstrikes. Officers said insurgents stood and fought, even deploying a platoon-size unit in "perfect military formation." "We hadn't seen anything like this in years," said Lt. Col. Andrew Poppas of the 82nd Airborne Division.
2006-11-24 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive