BAGHDAD, June 28 (UPI) -- U.S. military commanders in Iraq are anticipating a congressional timeline for troop withdrawal and are planning offensives accordingly.
A Los Angeles Times correspondent in Baghdad reported commanders are planning stepped-up offensives against al-Qaida militants to make the most of the time they have left.
"These operations are more on towards al-Qaida because they ... are the ones that are creating the truck bombs and car bombs that are having an effect ... on the populace," Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told the Times. "So we are going after the safe havens that allow them to build these things without a lot of interference."
The al-Qaida militants in Iraq are largely Sunni Muslims who target Shiites, inciting retribution attacks, the report said.
Senior officers told the newspaper that for the first time they have enough forces to root out al-Qaida fighters by entering havens where U.S. forces haven't been for years, and with a possible draw-down of forces on the horizon they intend to maximize the opportunity.
