Free Republic

TV Shows Weakened Iraq Defenses in Tikrit By NICOLE WINFIELD .c The Associated Press CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar (AP) - U.S. Marines were operating Sunday near the dusty desert town of Tikrit, a power center for Iraq's Sunni Muslim tribes that is believed to be the one of the last strongholds of fighters loyal to President Saddam Hussein, U.S. Central Command said. A task force from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was within about 35 miles of the town, approaching from the south, having ``moved north along Highway 1 to Tikrit from Samarra,'' said Lt. Mark Kitchens, a Central Command...

U.S. Marine Task Force Heads to Tikrit By DAVID CRARY .c The Associated Press A Marine task force headed north from Baghdad on Sunday, seeking to destroy any Iraqi forces remaining on the route to Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. The first TV news footage of Tikrit indicated its defenses had already dissolved. The footage, aired by CNN, showed no signs of active Iraqi army defenses around Tikrit and suggested that intensive U.S. airstrikes had taken a heavy toll on the desert city's military forces. CNN correspondent Brent Sadler reported that U.S. military officers were negotiating with tribal chiefs in...