Posted on 06/13/2003 10:36:08 AM PDT by dead
BAGHDAD, Iraq, (Reuters) - U.S. troops killed 27 Iraqis who they said ambushed a tank patrol Friday, after killing at least 70 at a guerrilla camp the day before, in the bloodiest clashes since major combat was declared over.
The U.S. military has launched two big operations west and north of Baghdad this week to try to root out what it says are diehard Saddam Hussein loyalists behind a recent spate of attacks on American troops in mainly Sunni Muslim areas.
A U.S. statement said an organized group of fighters had fired rocket-propelled grenades at a 4th Infantry Division tank patrol in Balad, about 60 miles from the capital.
"The tanks returned fire, killing four of the attackers, and forcing the remainder to flee," it said. "Tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles reinforced with AH-64 Apache helicopters pursued the enemy personnel, killing 23 of the attackers."
No U.S. casualties were reported in the clash.
Some 4,000 troops have been scouring an area around the Tigris river northeast of Balad since Monday in "Operation Peninsula Strike," which the military said was the biggest operation it had launched in the past six weeks.
In the other big assault, launched early Thursday, at least 70 people were killed at a "terrorist training camp" in northwest Iraq, a U.S. military spokesman said Friday.
He said the 101st Airborne Division and special operations units were involved in the raid that began with an air strike on the camp, 90 miles northwest of Baghdad. One U.S. soldier was wounded. The operation was still in progress.
The spokesman said a U.S. helicopter had been shot down during the operation Thursday. The Apache's two-member crew were rescued unhurt as two other Apaches engaged irregular Iraqi fighters. It was the first time a U.S. helicopter had been shot down since the fall of Baghdad on April 9.
MISSILES, GRENADES, RIFLES FOUND
The statement said 70 to 80 SAM-7 surface-to-air missiles, 75 to 78 rocket-propelled grenades and a score of AK-47 assault rifles had been found at the suspected training camp.
U.S. officials have released no other details on the camp, though one said the military believed that some of those present were not Iraqis. Arab volunteers from several countries fought with Iraqi forces during the war launched on March 20.
President Bush had accused Saddam of having links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. The former Iraqi leader denied this and Washington has provided no conclusive evidence.
The U.S. military said it detained 74 "suspected al Qaeda sympathizers" in a separate raid near the northern town of Kirkuk Thursday, but gave no details on whether they were actively planning attacks or just supported bin Laden's views.
About 40 U.S. soldiers have been killed in attacks and ambushes in Iraq since the beginning of May.
In London, post-war studies, including hospital and mortuary counts, indicated more than 5,500 civilians died in the recent conflict, an Anglo-American research group said Friday.
The Iraq Body Count's (IBC) latest figures -- in a survey of 15 counting projects from media and independent investigators both inside and outside Iraq -- put the minimum number of civilians dead at 5,534 and the maximum at 7,207.
The latest attacks have been concentrated in Baghdad and two nearby areas -- to the west around Ramadi and Falluja, and to the north around Balad, Baquba and Tikrit, Saddam's home town.
These are the heartlands of the Sunni tribes and clans that formed Saddam's main powerbase. But some locals say hostility to U.S. troops is due to rising anger at the way they carry out searches and raids, not loyalty to the Baath party.
"The United States sent the Iraqi army home without compensation. They set up checkpoints and prevented farmers from going to work," said Taleb, a farmer.
He said his brother recently drove to town to sell tomatoes and cucumbers but was detained for four days on the way.
The U.S. army reported three other hit-and-run attacks on American troops in the past two days, but no casualties on either side. Six Iraqis were detained.
Stay Safe Dead !.........:o)
Armed Fedayeen Saddam members dressed in civvies are NOT civilians. Again, these "researchers" should reveal the number of the dead "civilians" who are men between the ages of, say, 16 and 45. I'd hazard a guess that it's over 50% of the "count" and that almost all of that group were armed combatants.
Huh? Was this tidbit thrown in there to strengthen or diminish confidence in the report?
Maybe my history is rusty but I don't recall our compensating the German and Japanese armies for their labors in 1945. Why should we be obligated to do this now?
Bear in mind that this is from Reuters, which is, to use their writing style, a "so-called" "news" agency. Reuters policy is to apply strict editorial "corrections" to their "reporting" to avoid any semblance of "impartiality".
Thus it is most accurate to describe "news" from Reuters as "editorial approximations of alleged real-world activites that may or may not have occurred as reported or written".
When reading stories from Reuters, it helps me to maintain perspective if I bear in mind the fact that Reuters, along with most other self-styled news bureaus, habitually injects opinion and fiction into its material to make it more consistent with the world views of its staff.
A U.S. statement said an organized group of fighters
The U.S. military said it detained 74 "suspected al Qaeda sympathizers"But i thought al-queerduh wasnt in cahoots with iraqees?
In London, post-war studies, including hospital and mortuary counts, indicated more than 5,500 civilians died in the recent conflict, an Anglo-American research group said Friday.So everyone killed or holding a gun was a civilian if not in uniform?Amazing !
The Iraq Body Count's (IBC) latest figures -- in a survey of 15 counting projects from media and independent investigators both inside and outside Iraq -- put the minimum number of civilians dead at 5,534 and the maximum at 7,207.More Speculation?
"The United States sent the Iraqi army home without compensation. They set up checkpoints and prevented farmers from going to work," said Taleb, a farmer So what are you farming "anti aircraft missles" ?
So they should be compensated fo trying to kill our troops war is too damn civilized !
It starts out with 27 in the headline and advertises 7,207 at the end dont ya just love "reuters" along with thew rest of the ferret faced weasles !
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.