(American Forces Press Service) U.S. Army Gen. Tommy Franks said Sunday in Qatar that "large and capable ground forces [are] within 60 miles of Baghdad on multiple fronts." Franks noted that the coalition has secured the southern oil fields, saving those resources for the Iraqi people. Coalition forces are now staging air operations from Iraqi airfields. "The entire Iraqi coastline is secured, and the ports stand as a gateway for humanitarian assistance for the Iraqi people," he said. The Iraqi people are beginning to cooperate with coalition forces. Iraqi civilians are working with coalition forces in Nasiriyah to point out the regime death squads, Franks said. Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke noted that Saddam Hussein's terrorist attacks against U.S. and coalition troops have had no operational effect. After a little more than a week of fighting, U.S. and coalition troops have taken control of big chunks of Iraq.
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