Friday, July 11, from the flashpoint western Iraqi town after they
came under repeated attacks, as anti-American sentiments are rising
among local inhabitants against U.S. military provocations.
On
April 28, 15 Iraqis were killed and about 50 wounded when U.S.
occupation forces opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators in Falluja,
who were protesting the provocative practices of the U.S. soldiers.
On
June 30, angry residents in the town vowed revenge after ten people
were reportedly killed in the main mosque reportedly pounded by an
American helicopter gunship.
Another
Fatalities
On
another fatal incident, one American soldier was killed and two others
wounded in an attack with an improvised explosive device on a military
convoy in Baghdad, said Centcom.
The
latest deaths take to 64 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in
guerrilla attacks in Iraq since President George W. Bush declared
major combat operations over on May 1.
Another
77 have died in accidents or other circumstances unrelated to combat
in this period, according to an official tally released by the
Pentagon on Tuesday.
Unofficial
tolls indicate that more than 140 have been killed in the past four
months, and the symbolically important figures have been widely
reported by the U.S. media.
Iraqis
bear Brunt
Also
Wednesday, the U.S. forces came under other attacks in another tough
day for them in the war-scarred country.
In
Baqubah, 66 kilometers (48 miles) north of Baghdad, an Iraqi was
killed and a U.S. soldier and another Iraqi wounded in a mine
explosion, a witness said.
"A
mine detonated at 12:15 pm (0815 GMT) as an American convoy passed by
while some workers were transferring iron beams from my truck to a
warehouse," said Salah Abdul Rahman, a 52-year-old driver.
The
dead worker's family arrived and angrily threw stones at the U.S.
soldiers who shot in the air before leaving, an AFP correspondent
witnessed.
In
Ramadi, 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Baghdad, two U.S. military
troop vehicles were the target of a rocket propelled grenade (RPG)
attack Wednesday morning.
During
an ambush in the centre of the town, "a mine exploded near two
vehicles at 6:00 am (0200 GMT) and the troops on board successfully
escaped," the witness said.
"Armed
men then fired RPGs at the two vehicles, destroying them," the
witness said.
Al-Jazeera
quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a "number" of U.S.
soldiers were killed and others wounded in another attack in the city.
Two
Police Killed
 |
|
U.S. troops detained 51 civilians during the operation in northern Baghdad
|
In
the meanwhile, two Iraqi policemen, a looter and a money changer were
killed Wednesday morning in an exchange of gunfire in the Ali Baba and
the 40 Thieves Square, in the heart of Baghdad, a police officer said.
"Four
looters were trying to steal a car when police arrived. An exchange
took place killing two policemen, a looter and a currency changer who
was in his office," Ahmed Hassan said.
Two
passersby were also wounded and two thieves arrested.
"The
fourth rushed into a house to avoid the police. More police arrived,
as well as U.S. soldiers, who encircled the scene, and he was also
arrested," Hassan said.
Operation
Continues
Meanwhile,
some 2,500 U.S. troops with tanks and helicopters fanned out across
the north of Baghdad on the second day of a massive raid that
witnessed the detention of 49 people in suspicion of anti-U.S.
military activities.
In
the second day of the operation, troops conducted scores of raids
across the three provinces controlled by their 26,000-man division
stretching from north of Baghdad to the Kurdish-populated mountains
and the eastern border Iran, Reuters said.
"This
is an ongoing operation covering parts of our region where we don't
have a significant military presence," said army spokeswoman
Josslyn Aberle.
She
said the operation, codenamed Ivy Needle, was launched to snare
"anti-coalition subversive elements" wanted for a range of
incidents, without specifying which.
The
raid netted 24 suspected members of an allegedly criminal gang accused
of attacking American forces and Iraqi police.
Another
27 were detained overnight, several stashes of arms found, and about
$11,700 confiscated in full-scale "Ivy Needle" raids around
the region, Aberle said.
One
Iraqi was also shot dead in Tikrit, Reuters said.
Aberle
said the operation would continue, fixing no time for its end.
"Ivy
Needle" would continue as long as necessary with no fixed time
limit, she said.
"We
are not just about raids and patrols. This is nation-building. We'll
be going in afterwards to help reconstruct schools, hospitals and
other facilities," Aberle said.
In
a preparatory, two-week intelligence-gathering phase before the
operation, 390 Iraqis were detained in 95 raids.
"Wherever
we get intelligence, we will act on it," Aberle said.
