Commander says Saddam supporters "brought to their knees" in Tikrit area

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2004

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A top US commander in Iraq predicted a return to normalcy within six months in one of the hotbeds of resistance to a US-led occupation, saying the capture of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein last month has brought supporters of former regime "to their knees."

But Major General Raymond Odierno, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, also cautioned that Iraqi nationalists seeking to drive US forces from the country, as well as foreign fighters tied to al-Qaeda, may pose a looming threat.

Odierno said he anticipates more suicide bombings. But he said the number of attacks on US forces overall have dropped sharply since Saddam Hussein's capture December 13 and only a handful of clandestine cells run by his supporters remain active in his area of...