Lack of backup from Iraqis frustrates U.S. troops' strategy

July 6, 2007
Lack of backup from Iraqis frustrates U.S. troops' strategy

The Iraqi army has yet to deploy a single soldier on this 380-square-mile swath — bigger than all of New York City's five boroughs — where the U.S. military is waging an offensive to dislodge al-Qaida fighters from marshlands along the Tigris River.

In Tuesday's pre-dawn raid, the lack of Iraqi backup meant a frustrating outcome for U.S. forces. When suspects fled, there was no Iraqi cordon to catch them.