Iraqi Army

[Dr. Shane]

Iraqi, U.S. troops launch new attack on Tal Afar

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />

More than 5,000 Iraqi army and paramilitary forces backed by U.S. soldiers Saturday swept into Tal Afar, an insurgent stronghold near the Syrian border, conducting house-to-house searches and using armored vehicles to batter down stone walls in the narrow, winding streets of the old city.

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />

With the Tal Afar offensive under way, the Iraqi defense minister signaled his U.S.-trained forces would not stop after this operation and vowed to move against insurgent bastions throughout the country.

"We say to our people ... we are coming," said Defense Minister Sadoun al-Dulaimi.

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

Maybe the US will be able to pull out in 2006.