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Petraeus Says al Qaeda Losing Baghdad Grip

Posted Oct 28, 07 4:35 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – Al Qaeda is losing ground in Baghdad, Gen. David Petraeus said today, even as the group showed its fangs by abducting 10 opposition tribal leaders. “Its presence has been significantly reduced,” Petraeus said, but cautioned that al Qaeda was still “dangerous and very lethal.” Gunmen, meanwhile, abducted seven Sunni and three Shiite sheiks returning from an anti-Qaeda strategy conference.

The big problem for Baghdad now is crime, Petraeus said, describing “mafia-like” extortion and kidnapping rings. Sectarian violence is down, with another general saying October attacks dropped by 300. But elsewhere in Iraq, a car bomb ripped through a Kirkuk bus terminal, killing eight and wounding 26. Kirkuk is an oil-rich town that Iraq’s northern Kurds would like to annex.

Source Associated Press

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General Petraeus says al-Qaida is losing ground in Iraq   (KRT Photos)
Rescue workers gather at the the site of a car bomb attack in the oil rich town of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007. A car bomb ripped through a Kirkuk...   (Associated Press)
Gen. David Petraeus says that al Qaeda is losing its grip on Baghdad, but that powerful mafia-like pockets are emerging.   (Getty Images (by Event))
People gather next to the site of a car bomb attack in the oil rich town of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007. A car bomb ripped through a Kirkuk bus terminal...   (Associated Press)
People injured in a car bomb attack are being transported to a hospital in the oil rich town of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007. A car bomb ripped through...   (Associated Press)
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Iraq  • David Petraeus  • al-Qaeda in Iraq  • sectarian violence


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