BAGHDAD — The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said Saturday that the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq has been disrupted and no longer operates in large numbers in any neighborhood of the capital.
“In general, we think that there are no al- Qaeda strongholds at this point,” Petraeus said. “They remain very lethal, very dangerous, capable at any point in time, if you will, of coming back off the canvas and landing a big punch, and we have to be aware of that.”
Throughout the U.S. military buildup this year, soldiers have focused on denying sanctuaries to al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters by arresting their leaders, attempting to hinder foreign fighters from entering the country and partnering with Sunni residents to improve the quality of intelligence about the organization. In recent months, U.S. and Iraqi military commanders have noted a marked decrease in sectarian violence and in civilian and U.S. casualties.
Petraeus, speaking to reporters on the southern outskirts of the capital, attributed the reduction of violence in part to military operations outside the capital targeting areas where car bombs and other explosives are manufactured, before they can be deployed in Baghdad.
Fresh violence broke out across the country Saturday, with at least 23 people killed or found dead in separate incidents, The Associated Press reported.
In northern Iraq, three roadside bombs targeting a convoy of trailers carrying concrete blocks south of Kirkuk killed eight people and wounded six others, police said.
The U.S. military announced that an American soldier was killed by small-arms fire Thursday in Salahuddin province. As of Saturday, at least 3,840 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
