Iraqi opposition fighters drafted by US

THE US military has begun flying Iraqi opposition fighters to join in the war, a top general said, as the Pentagon warned the military may have to run the country for more than six months after the conflict.

"These are Iraqi citizens who want to fight for a free Iraq, who will become basically the core of the new Iraqi army once Iraq is free," said General Peter Pace, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"To speak specifically about where they are or what they're about to do would be inappropriate, but they are the beginning of the free Iraqi army."