Al Qaeda is probably among “terrorist” groups operating against American forces in Iraq, the U.S. commander in the country said Thursday. Attacks on his troops are getting more sophisticated and more deadly, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez told a news conference in Baghdad, with “professionals” clearly involved. But U.S. forces were learning from their reverses. Sanchez said this week that Iraq was becoming a “terrorist magnet” for anti-American groups. Asked if Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network of radical Islamists was among those present, he replied: “They probably are operating in Iraq.” He also named Ansar al Islam, which formerly had a base in the mountainous Kurdish-controlled zone of northern Iraq, and said he thought “other extremist groups” were active too. Full Story
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