Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=04/10/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=PENTAGON / IRAQ (S)

NUMBER=2-302055

BYLINE=MEREDITH BUEL

DATELINE=PENTAGON

CONTENT=

VOICE AT:

INTRO: Top Pentagon officials say U-S forces are aggressively attacking Iraq's remaining military units in the northern part of the country. Correspondent Meredith Buel has details from the Pentagon.

TEXT: Major General Stanley McChrystal says Iraqi regular army soldiers are the last significant military presence still on the battlefield.

The general says these Iraqi units in the north are being attacked daily by U-S Special Forces soldiers and coalition war planes still flying more than one-thousand sorties per day.

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We have been targeting them aggressively, both from the air and with special operations forces for the last days, and we judge their capability to have dropped significantly, both from casualties and also from people just simply leaving the battlefield.

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General McChrystal says there have been no large numbers of surrendering Iraqi troops in the north, although Iraqi soldiers are still giving up elsewhere.

In another development, U-S Special Forces have entered the key northern oil city of Kirkuk along with Kurdish fighters.

General McChrystal says "it was an important opportunity" when Iraqi forces in the north pulled back. (Signed)

NEB/MB/