Sunni militants a problem in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, March 18 (UPI) -- Sunni insurgents, not Shiite militias are turning out to be the primary concern for coalition forces trying to bring calm to Baghdad, officials say.

According to an intelligence report described by U.S. officials, materials from a laptop computer seized from an insurgent operative indicates the Sunni group al-Qaida in Mesopotamia sees "the sectarian war for Baghdad as the necessary main focus of its operations," The New York Times said Sunday. When President Bush announced plans for a troop surge in the Iraqi capital in January, Shiite militias were forecast as the key opposition.

The military officials also say shutting down bomb-making sites and finding weapon caches in the outskirts of the city also is proving as important as protecting Baghdad neighborhoods.

"The Baghdad belts are increasingly seen as the key to security in Baghdad," said Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the American officer in charge of day-to-day operations in Iraq. "I believe this is where you can stop the accelerants to Baghdad violence. We have already found a large number of significant caches in these areas related to car bombs and IEDs."

IEDs are improvised explosive devices, commonly used as roadside bombs.