By KIMBERLY DOZIER
AP Intelligence Writer
WASHINGTON – It took a U.S.-led invasion force of 200,000-plus troops nine months to scour Iraq’s nearly 170,000 square miles before capturing Saddam Hussein after one of the largest manhunts ever.
Now Moammar Gadhafi is on the run in Libya, but chasing after him is a much smaller and less well-equipped force of Libyan rebels. They’re trying to track down a fugitive who, like Saddam, is well-armed, well-funded and capable of winning popular support and sowing instability simply by evading his pursuers.
If the rebels fail to find Gadhafi quickly as they battle to take his hometown of Sirte, they could face more than just a protracted manhunt. His continued evasion could fuel a Gadhafi-led counterinsurgency that bolsters his mythic status and stymies attempts by the rebels’ fledgling government to bring stability and basic services to the country.