Al-Qaeda Devastated by U.S. Offensive

The U.S. military's recent offensive in western Iraq has had a devastating impact on the al-Qaeda-backed insurgency, with coalition forces killing over 700 terrorists and capturing 1,500 in the last two months alone.

"It's been very successful," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told a briefing in Baghdad on Wednesday, referring to a series of security offensives conducted by U.S. and Iraq forces in Anbar province since September 28.

Though media reports suggest recent U.S. casualties are due to deteriorating security conditions in Iraq as a whole, most were incurred during the new offensive - dubbed "Operation Steel Curtain."

"For the first time, Iraq's political factions on Monday collectively called for a timetable for withdrawal of foreign forces, in a moment of consensus that comes as the Bush administration battles pressure at home to commit itself to a pullout schedule."