Former U.S. commander in Iraq says capture of three U.S. servicemen likely won't be the last

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/14/america/NA-GEN-US-Iraq-Casey.php

FORT RILEY, Kansas: A weekend ambush of a U.S.-led convoy in Iraq in which three American servicemen are missing and believed abducted by militants linked to al-Qaida likely won't be the last time insurgents capture U.S. troops, the former U.S. military commander in Iraq said Monday.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Fort Riley and 1st Infantry Division commanders, Gen. George Casey said it was too early to tell if the war in Iraq was taking a new turn or if the deadly ambush of U.S. soldiers, reportedly by al-Qaida forces, was an isolated incident.

"Unfortunately, that's not the first time something like this has happened. You have units fighting in a dispersed environment. It's difficult," Casey said, speaking outside Patton Hall at Fort Riley.

Under a new strategy introduced this year, U.S. troops have been deployed in small outposts in and around Baghdad, working alongside Iraqi soldiers. They go out in foot patrols, hoping to generate goodwill among neighborhood residents and tips about insurgent activity, but the strategy has exposed them to greater risk of attack.

[Drum]

1. Frankly, it's hard to believe there haven't been more already....

:(