IF THEY ARE READING, THIS OUGHT TO CONCERN THE BAD GUYS

The head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, has ordered hundreds of his staff members to move to CentCom's forward headquarters in Qatar to cope with the increased pace of military operations in Iraq.

The shift in staff - with Abizaid himself expecting to spend more time in the region - reflects the military's view that large-scale operations will continue in Iraq for an extended period.

The latest of those operations - dubbed "Iron Hammer" - continued Friday as a U.S. Apache helicopter gunship killed seven suspected guerrillas near Tikrit. On Thursday night, F-16 fighter jets destroyed a building near the Syrian border that was suspected of being used to stage attacks.

Senior Army officers, who asked not to be named, said 300 to 400 staff members would return to Qatar and join 150 staffers who've been there since active combat ended last spring. The size of the forward headquarters staff has ebbed and flowed with the pace of operations.

The Army officers said Abizaid already was spending two-thirds of his time in Qatar and Iraq.