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MILES O'BRIEN: In Iraq, the U.S. military claiming it
has captured a high ranking al-Qaeda operator, but no
end in sight for the violence. Thirteen killed today
in Baghdad, including two American soldiers. In one
attack, Iraqi police were lured to the scene of a
roadside bombing, only to be hit by another bomber in
a car.
CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad now. He is embedded
with U.S. troops -- Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, amidst
all of that violence, the U.S. military has stepped
up in what has become known as the Battle of Baghdad.
The long-running operation known as Operation
Together Forward to reclaim this city from
insurgents, militias and death squads went to a new
level today.
In the past, the operations have targeted areas
contested by the sectarian groups, or where largely
Shia death squads have operated against the Sunni
sect. But today, for the first time, the target was a
Shia domain, one of the strongholds of the most
dominant Shia militias, Jaish al-Mahdi, loyal to the
rebel anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Today, Stryker vehicles just like these behind me and
thousands of American and Iraqi troops entered the
Shahab (ph) district, clearing it of death squads,
searching for weapons, and taking control of the
streets, in the course of which there was one sniper
attack on U.S. forces, an American soldier was
wounded. We understand it was only lightly, however,
and we're waiting for an update on his condition.
And we've just learned that one of these vehicles has
just been hit by an IED back in the Shahab district
-- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael, you've been -- you were just
embedded recently to the west of Baghdad, and now
you're in Baghdad for, as you say, the Battle of
Baghdad. To what extent do you get the sense that the
focus on Baghdad saps resources which could be used
outside in the Sunni Triangle?
WARE: Miles, you're very much touching the main point
here in Iraq. I mean, the focus for the coalition
forces right now is Baghdad. As a very senior U.S.
military intelligence source said to me recently, "In
terms of our priorities, it's Baghdad, Baghdad,
Baghdad."
There's a belief among some of the core leadership
that this battle will be won or lost here in Baghdad.
It's about trying to prop up a relatively weak prime
minister who does not have a popular base of his own,
nor does he have his own militia, which is currently
the currency of political power in Iraq. So they need
to secure Baghdad to give him that support he needs.
In the meantime, however, while more and more
resources are sucked into Baghdad, while reserves are
called from Kuwait to go to Baghdad, that leaves
Anbar, I'm afraid to say, hanging out there to dry.
As we heard from the Marine general who controls
Anbar province, he has enough troops to train the
Iraqi forces, but he does not have enough troops to
win the war against the al-Qaeda-led insurgency out
there -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael Ware embedded with U.S. troops in
Baghdad.
Thank you -- Soledad.