A U.S. soldier has died from injuries sustained in an attack on his patrol, the U.S. military command said Friday.
The soldier was wounded in the Thursday night attack in Baghdad and evacuated to a combat hospital, where he later died, the military said in a statement.
Meanwhile, contrary to U.S. government claims, the resistance in Iraq is led by Sunni Iraqis, not foreign fighters, and is far larger than previously thought, American military officials told The AP.
The officials said the resistance force cannot be militarily defeated.
That number is far larger than the 5,000 fighters previously thought to be at the resistance's core.
The resistance is believed to include dozens of regional cells, often led by tribal sheiks and inspired by Sunni Muslim imams.
The developing intelligence picture of the resistance, the AP said, contrasts with the commonly stated view in the Bush administration that the fighting is fueled by foreign warriors intent on creating an Islamic state.
"We're not at the forefront of a jihadist war here," a U.S. military official in Baghdad, was quoted as saying.
Estimates of the resistance manpower tend to be too low. Last week, a former US official said 4,000 to 5,000 Baathists form the core of the resistance, with other attacks committed by a couple hundred supporters of Jordanian activist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and hundreds of other foreign fighters. (albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
