BAGHDAD, Iraq Jan. 16 — The top U.S. commander in Iraq on Friday urged Saddam Hussein's loyalists to lay down arms and "embrace the future," of a sovereign Iraq, saying they will otherwise end up either dead or in custody. "We will be relentless in the pursuit of these targets," Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq, said at a news conference. The U.S. military has captured or killed all but 13 of the 55 most wanted figures from Saddam's regime, including the ousted dictator himself. Since Saddam's capture on Dec. 13, the U.S. military says attacks by insurgents have fallen to about 15 a day compared to a few dozen previously.
"The former regime is never going to come back. We are focused. We are effective in the pursuit of these individuals. We are going to capture them or kill, as is our mission."
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Can you hear me now? Ping!