Posted on 04/06/2008 3:12:33 PM PDT by nuconvert
3 US troops killed, 31 wounded in Iraq
By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD - Rockets or mortars slammed into the U.S.-protected Green Zone and a military base elsewhere in Baghdad on Sunday, killing three American soldiers and wounding 31, an official said
The attacks occurred as U.S. and Iraqi forces battled Shiite militants in Sadr City in some of the fiercest fighting since radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered a cease-fire a week ago. At least 16 Iraqi civilians were killed in the fighting, according to hospital officials.
A military official said two U.S. troops died and 17 were wounded in the attack on the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government headquarters in central Baghdad.
Another American service member was killed and 14 were wounded in the attack on a base in the southeastern Baghdad area of Rustamiyah, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.
The U.S. military said separately that an American soldier was killed Sunday in a roadside bombing in the volatile Diyala province north of Baghdad.
The deaths raised to at least 4,017 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the Baghdad attacks, but U.S. commanders have blamed what they call Iranian-backed rogue militia groups for launching missiles against American forces.
The strikes occurred despite a strong push by the U.S. military to prevent militants from using suspected launching sites on the southern edge of Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of the Mahdi Army of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Hospital officials said at least 16 civilians were killed and nearly 100 wounded as fierce fighting erupted in Sadr City earlier Sunday after Iraqi troops backed by U.S. soldiers and attack helicopters tried to advance deeper into the enclave of some 2.5 million people.
American helicopters also fired Hellfire missiles that destroyed a vehicle and killed nine militants who were attacking Iraqi security forces rocket-propelled grenades in the area, the military said in a statement.
The surge in violence came as tensions rose in Shiite areas despite al-Sadr's March 30 cease-fire order, which eased nearly a week of fighting in Baghdad, Basra and other cities in the Shiite south. The cleric stopped short of asking his fighters to surrender their weapons, and sporadic clashes have continued.
The inability of the Iraqi security forces to curb the militias has cast doubt on their ability to take over their own security two days before the two top American officials in Iraq — Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker — are to brief Congress on the prospects for further reductions in the U.S. troop presence in Iraq.
Iraqi forces were plagued by desertions and mutinies in units send to Basra, where a government offensive against militias stalled and triggered fighting elsewhere.
Al-Sadr has called for a "million-strong" anti-U.S. demonstration on Wednesday in Baghdad to protest the fifth anniversary of the capture of Baghdad by invading U.S. troops.
At the edge of Sadr City, Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, the commander of the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, said Iraqi forces had come under sustained fire overnight after establishing checkpoints deeper into the Shiite district.
"They're working to establish control," he said, speaking to a small group of reporters as heavy gunfire resounded outside a joint U.S.-Iraqi base on the southern rim of Sadr City.
Mortar shells also fell on a popular commercial area in the Jamila neighborhood, setting a fire that burned some 100 shops, according to the Baghdad military command. It said fire fighters came under heavy gunfire that slowed their efforts to extinguish the flames.
A local fire official, who declined to be identified because he wasn't supposed to discuss the issue, said the mortars had been aimed at a U.S.-occupied police station but fell short. That report could not be independently verified.
Last week, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, himself a Shiite, ordered a nationwide freeze on Iraqi raids against Shiite militants, bowing to demands by al-Sadr who had hinted at retaliation if Iraqi security forces continue to arrest his followers.
U.S. commanders said they will fight back in order to maintain control of a swath of territory on the southern edge of Sadr City that has been used as a launching site for rockets aimed at the Green Zone, which has come under steady fire since the current tensions began.
"Where we have criminal elements that are threatening the security and peace of the people of Iraq, we take action," said Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, the top commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad.
The Iraqi government relaxed security measures Saturday around the Mahdi Army strongholds of Sadr City and the Shula neighborhood, allowing trucks carrying maintenance teams, food, oil products and ambulances into the areas that still face a vehicle ban despite the lifting of a citywide curfew.
But residents continued to complain of hardships.
"Our situation is miserable. We lack food, water and electricity. This morning I saw two men being shot by a sniper as they were trying to cross the street near my house. The government should do something to end our suffering," said Hussein Khazim, a taxi driver who has been out of work since the turmoil erupted in late March.
Violence also continued in northern Iraq. Gunmen seized 42 students off a bus near the city of Mosul — the last major urban stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq — but later released them unharmed.
Also Sunday, hundreds of mourners gathered in the capital's Karradah district for the funeral of Father Youssef Adel, an Assyrian Orthodox priest slain the day before at his home.
One of the mourners, Midhat Faez, said the assassination was aimed at provoking conflict between Muslims and the tiny Christian community.
"As Christians, we are terrified and our numbers are gradually diminishing," Faez said.
What we need is Barak Obama to set a new tone...that way there will be no need to fight
Why are we letting Iran get away scott-free with supporting the terrorists?
Al-Sadr supported Saddam from Iran? Who knew?
ALLEGRA, check in. Please, if you can.
BUMP! Prayers for all in service to our country.
The DemoSocialists (Clinton, Obama et cetera ad nauseum) must be very happy about this. They think it helps their cause when American troops are killed or wounded. These DemoSocialists are allies of the terrorists, and have been for at least five years. The Enemy Within includes a majority of our illustrious Congressmorons.
Right On! Barack will go talk to Sadar. Yep. That’ll take of the problem.....
Another Muslim truce that is just a ruse so they can re gather their forces!
Ping
She hasn’t posted since this morning.
Commissioners Seek To Ban April Fools Pranks ^
Posted by Allegra to TornadoAlley3
On 04/06/2008 10:15:33 AM PDT · 3 of 9 ^
Lefties are a bunch of pusillanimous pismires.
No fun ever allowed.
Mookie, maybe you should ask Calypso Louie to help you with those numbers.
Enough of Iranian made weapons killing those brave volunteer state department employees and US soldiers in the so called green zone.
An all-out effort is being made, not only in Iraq but on the part of various groups and organizations in the U. S. to undercut and negate in advance anything Gen. Petraeus might say of a positive or hopeful nature in his report to the Congress this week.
The inability of the Iraqi security forces to curb the militias has cast doubt on their ability to take over their own security two days before the two top American officials in Iraq — Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker — are to brief Congress on the prospects for further reductions in the U.S. troop presence in Iraq.
Might be nap time!
mmm, worry, worry.
I know we have to squash the roaches. And we obviously know just where to find them. I hate that any harm comes to our guys, but I know they give way more than they get. God bless them.
It’s definitely naptime, but somebody needs to roust her tail out of the bed!
Terrorists and leftists (often the same thing) are trying to play the MSM and Demagogues like a fiddle this week. Expect more of this all week to try to undercut the Petraeus testimony — “see no matter what the numbers say we liberals know that it’s time to cut & run from Iraq”
A few good MSM headlines are all the leftists need to gin up another round of calls for defeat and surrender. All of these scumbags, both abroad and here in the USA, are so damned predictable....
I think if this goes on for much longer, there’s going to be a lot of smoking holes in Iran. The stage is being set this year for war. And I say it’s about time.
May the good Lord grant the loved ones of these Soldiers mercy during their days of grieving.
Amen
“The inability of the Iraqi security forces to curb the militias has cast doubt on their ability to take over their own security two days before the two top American officials in Iraq — Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker — are to brief Congress on the prospects for further reductions in the U.S. troop presence in Iraq.”
This I believe is the Iranian goal as they certainly want to support Pelosi in the briefing by Gen’l Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker. Her Eminence stated she didn’t want to hear glorified accounting of the Iraq war. Obviously she wants only bad news, therefore the Iranians are aiming to please. /s
Knowing how good the dem leaders feel about this kind of news, makes me want to vomit.
Better be careful, Mookmeister. You may get a million-man anti-Mookular demonstration instead.
The terrorists are throwing everything they have into a mini-tet offensive in attempt to influence our election.
So far, this is the best they can do. That is the real headline here.
“Similar to a war 40 years ago where we let the leaders of a neighboring country fuel the conflict with relative immunity. If we didn’t have plans to address this issue we had no damn business sacrificing our warriors and resources getting into this hemorrhaging war.”
Yep, it has a name. It’s called limited warfare. It didn’t work then. Won’t work this time. Same strategy expecting different results. How many dead this time before we learn?
“Knowing how good the dem leaders feel about this kind of news, makes me want to vomit.”
I wonder exactly what it would take in this country for democrats and republicans to stop fighting each other long enough to fight the real enemies out there. I’m not talking about the anti-war peacenic fringe of the Democratic party or the opportunistic politicians like Pelosi and Reid. I’m talking about the blue collar, patriotic democrats who often times would like to vote for the republican because of social or natl security issues, but end up voting for the democrat because of that having to feed their family, have a savings and retirement, and try to put their kids through college problem and they kind of need to get paid more than slave wages to do it. What exactly would it take to bring us together? Maybe they can expunge the anti-war loons from their ranks and we can expunge the country club globalists from ours and come together long enough to kick some serious ass in the middle east. I can dream can’t I? It won’t happen with the way alliances are now so entrenched in Washington.
I'm OK, y'all. It was after 1 a.m. Baghdad time when you began posting to me.
I was close to one of the hits.
And it got one whom I know...and am fond of. It's heartbreaking. :(
After today, I will try to check in when I can, but I will be traveling and likely off the radar screen for the next 48 hours or so.
I'm coming home for a break. This has been planned since long before Mookie's thugs got wound up again.
I am so sorry.
But I’m glad to know you are up and about.
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