BAGHDAD, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Extremist groups in Iraq are active despite the deaths of top leaders and a drop in foreign funding, U.S. Special Forces Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Higgins said.
For example, Higgins said, members of al-Qaida in Iraq increasingly turn to kidnapping and extortion to remain viable, The Washington Post reported Monday.
"The line between terrorism and criminality has blurred so much that some of these guys are just outsourcing," Higgins said. "We've seen indications that some of these guys, for a price, will put together a (roadside bomb) or do an assassination".
Al-Qaida and other organization still conduct attacks almost daily, officials say.
On Sunday, at least seven people were killed in the bombing of a police convoy in Anbar province and at least 43 people were killed the previous day in two bombings in Basra. UPI
