U.S.-led coalition forces have retaken control of the southern Iraqi city of Kut, a military spokeswoman said Friday.
The spokeswoman had no other information about how troops regained control of the city, which had been overrun by a militia led by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr. On Thursday, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. general in Iraq, vowed that coalition forces would move âimminentlyâ to break al-Sadrâs hold over Kut, 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, and destroy his Mahdi Army militia across the country in a new operation dubbed âResolute Sword.â Ukrainian troops in Kut abandoned their base Wednesday in the face of mortar fire and gunbattles, allowing Mahdi Army fighters to sweep in, seizing weapons stores and planting their flag. The militia also has full control over the southern cities of Kufa and the central part of Najaf. Police in the cities have abandoned their stations or stood aside as the gunmen roam the streets. |