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As
10,000 American troops stand ready to launch a
much-anticipated assault on the city of Fallujah,
the U.S. military is reporting that an Iraqi
military commander deserted one day after receiving
a full briefing on the battle plan to take the city.
The officer, a Kurd from northern Iraq, commanded
160 Iraqi troops who trained outside Fallujah with
U.S. Marines. His uniform and rifle were found on
his bed.
The battle to take Fallujah has already begun, with
airstrikes and artillery barrages designed to take
out key positions and weapons caches. Most arteries
into the city of 300,000 have already been cut off.
Military experts say the storming of the city will
involve street fighting and is expected to be the
most intense combat American troops have found
themselves in since Vietnam.
U.S. and Iraqi forces intend to take Fallujah before
the scheduled Jan. 27 election.
"It is significant that he disappeared the morning
after he had a full and detailed brief on the full
battle plan for the assault on Fallujah," the pool
report sent to Reuters read.
Despite the compromised plan, U.S. officers are
saying the desertion will not change anything.
Because the officer is a Kurd and has no known ties
with Fallujah, the military believes he's unlikely
to cooperate with the Sunnis in the targeted city.
"He is more likely headed up north and going home,"
the report concluded.
Kurds were allies of the U.S. in the ouster Saddam
Hussein.
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