US-led forces have subdued the rebel stronghold of Samarra in two days of fighting, the first of a series of military steps expected in coming weeks designed to seize control of insurgent cities and pave the way for January elections. But the relative ease of the Samarra operation – in which a 5,000-strong joint US-Iraqi force launched one of the largest coalition strikes since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq – belies a risky strategy that will rely on freshly trained and untested Iraqi forces for success, analysts say.Full Story
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