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Hundreds more troops are needed to beat Taliban, warns Nato chief By Richard Westmacott in Kabul (Filed: 08/09/2006) Nato's senior military commander yesterday called for hundreds of reinforcements to combat the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, where he said fighting was reaching a "decisive moment". 35 British troops have died since 4,500 began arriving earlier this year US Gen James Jones said that the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, British Lt Gen David Richards, needed more troops soon. "We have to give the commander additional insurance in terms of some forces that can be there, perhaps temporarily, to make sure...

Saddam is hiding near Baghdad, says exiled spy chief By Patrick Cockburn in Samarra, Iraq 14 July 2003 Saddam Hussein and Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as Chemical Ali, are hiding in an area of farmland and small villages on the Tigris river between Baghdad and the city of Samarra, says a former senior Iraqi intelligence officer. General Wafiq al-Samarrai, head of Iraqi military intelligence before he went into exile, is assisting American forces in the hunt for Saddam. He said the deposedleader had been able to escape capture because the area was heavily populated and had thick vegetation. "He...