- There has been mounting speculation that holdout Iraqi
fighters could try to stage their final stand in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's
birthplace.
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- Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks told a briefing at U.S. Central
Command in Qatar Wednesday that Tikrit will likely become the coalition's
next main target, now that Baghdad appears to have fallen.
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- "I'm not predisposed as to when we might go in that
direction ... but we're certainly focused on Tikrit to prevent the regime
from being able to use it as place to command and control, to restore command
and control, or to hide," Brooks said.
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- It is suspected that Hussein might try to flee to his
birthplace, where he would be most protected by tribesmen with blood ties
to him. Even if he isn't alive, U.S. troops will likely face resistance
from the Sunni Arab tribes, who may hold out for as long as possible for
fear of losing power to Iraq's Shiite majority.
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- CNN reports that U.S.-led forces have sealed off the
road between Tikrit and Baghdad, while Brooks said there has been a buildup
of Iraqi forces around the town.
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- "We've seen there have been some forces deployed
in and around the Tikrit area. Many of them have moved as we were having
more and more success on the southwestern side of Baghdad and the southeastern
side of Baghdad," Brooks said.
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- He added that the U.S. is still assessing the strength
of Iraqi forces in the area, but that resistance would likely be similar
to fighting seen elsewhere in the country.
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- CTV military analyst Lt. Col. (Ret.) Tom Christianson
told Canada AM he anticipates a quicker victory in Tikrit than in Basra,
where British troops had surrounded the city for days before gaining control.
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- "I would assume they would go into Tikrit just because
of the political, diplomatic significance and maybe end the war, so to
speak, there," he said.
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- But Christianson warns the war is entering "the
most dangerous phase."
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- "Soldiers are tired. They need rest, they're more
vulnerable. They start to let down their guard and so they are vulnerable
to activity by groups of 30 to 40 terrorists and/or Fedayeen or irregular
troops."
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- Tikrit, a town of 260,000, is dotted with Hussein's largest
and most elaborate presidential compounds that have a labyrinth of underground
tunnels believed to link to the eastern banks of the Tigris River.
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- With a report from The Associated Press
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