Iraqis celebrate destruction of an American military vehicle

BAGHDAD, Aug 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – American occupation forces have come under a plethora of Iraqi resistance attacks across the country on Sunday, August 10, leaving at least four U.S. soldiers wounded and several military vehicles destroyed.

Ten Iraqis and two U.S. soldiers were wounded in a grenade blast targeting American forces beside an Islamic college on a campus of Baghdad university, witnesses and military sources said.

Two of the wounded included a driver and a cameraman for the Al-Jazeera satellite news channel on campus to interview a Muslim U.S. soldier, said Lieutenant Colonel John Kem, from the First Armoured Division.

The attack on the campus in the quarter of Bab al-Muazam occurred as construction workers were carrying furniture into the university's college of Islamic law, said a witness.

"There were 30 workers carrying beds and furniture when someone tossed a grenade from the building at U.S. troops, but it hit us instead," said Samir Hato, a driver for the school.

An 11-year-old child was among the wounded, Hato added.

U.S. troops had sealed off the building, while a female student said she saw a man lob the grenade.

In a separate attack, an American military jeep was set ablaze by a rocket-propelled grenade at 12:30 pm (0830 GMT) Sunday in Hadithah, 200 kilometers west of Baghdad, witnesses said.

The vehicle was hit as it traveled in a three-car convoy, but it was not clear if anyone was wounded in the attack, said Rafiq Hamadi, an eyewitness, adding U.S. soldiers were guarding the flaming vehicle.

In a third resistance operation, two American soldiers were wounded Sunday when their cargo truck struck an explosive device on a highway outside of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, the U.S. military said.

Major Troy Smith of the Fourth Infantry Division's First Brigade said the explosion at about 9:30 am (0530 GMT) was caused by a "suspected IED", or improvised explosive device.

Military personnel at the brigade's tactical operations center were heard calling for army medical evacuation from the scene southwest of Tikrit near a U.S. forward observation post, where one soldier needed urgent surgical attention while the second was suspected of sustaining a concussion.

Iraqis Arrested

U.S. soldier inspects the remains of an American military vehicle destroyed by RPG

American forces arrested three Iraqis in an overnight raid following a mortar attack on a U.S. base in the northern oil refinery town of Baiji, a U.S. army spokesman said Sunday.

"Three more people were detained and some small arms seized," Captain Rob Isabella told AFP.

The raid by the 366 battalion followed the launch Saturday night of six to seven mortar bombs at an American base in the town, which landed 50 meters (yards) short of the target, causing no casualties, Isabella said.

It was not immediately clear if the detainees were suspected of firing the mortars.

The raid was seen as a follow-up to a 366 mission the previous day, in which U.S. troops arrested three other Iraqis suspected of involvement in building improvised explosive devices frequently used in attacks against the occupation forces.

Shiite Scholar Detained

30 U.S. soldiers in five Humvee vehicles backed up by two tanks and a transport truck arrested Madani and 12 others

In a new provocation of Iraqi citizens, American forces arrested a leading Shiite scholar overnight in the flashpoint town of Baquba northwest of Baghdad, the man's son told AFP Sunday.

U.S. soldiers picked up at midnight Ali Abdul Karim al-Madani, 48, the highest-ranking Shiite scholar in the Dyala region who had previously been jailed from July 2-4, his son Hasan Abdul Halim al-Madani said.

Madani, whose brief arrest last month sparked demonstrations that left one man dead, was led away by 30 U.S. soldiers, who came in five Humvee vehicles, backed up by two tanks and a transport truck.

Twelve others were arrested along with him, Madani’s nephew Haider Abdul Halim told AFP.

At the time of his previous arrest, U.S. troops suspected the scholar of a connection to a large weapons cache found in a Baquba mosque and also of calling for violence against the Americans.

During the latest raid, Haider complained the troops had confiscated 20 million dinars (14,000 dollars) collected by Madani for the construction of a new mosque.

He said no reason was given for the arrest, while U.S. troops had no immediate comment.

"There are no good relations with the Americans. Like all Iraqis, we are against the occupation, but we are for peaceful negotiations with them," Haider said.

He added Madani, the son of a former grand ayatollah, backed the line of Iraq's current senior Shiite scholar Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who advocates a wait-and-see approach toward the U.S. forces.