19 Killed In U.S. Assault On Iranian/Al Sadr Forces In Baghdad
BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. troops raided a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad on Thursday in a hunt for militiamen linked to Iran, sparking exchanges of fire and a mortar attack. Officials said 19 people were killed. The U.S. military had no immediate comment on the assault in the eastern Amin district of the capital.
The battle began with a pre-dawn raid by U.S. forces that the military said captured two militants involved in kidnappings and planting roadside bombs against U.S. and Iraqi troops. Militants fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the troops, hitting a nearby building, the military said.
The military said the two captured militants belonged to Iranian- backed “special groups” linked to the Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. has accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of organizing and arming a network of the special groups to carry out attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces and kidnappings.
U.S. troops later surrounded the neighborhood, announcing via loudspeakers to residents that they were seeking militants and that they should stay inside, said an Iraqi police official who was at the scene. As the Americans withdrew around 11 a.m., they came under fire, prompting troops to move back into the district, assaulting several buildings, the official said.
The result was an exchange of fire that included mortars and rockets, the official said.
AP Television News video showed buildings riddled with holes from heavy machine guns and rockets, and a heavily damaged minibus.
Another police official involved in compiling casualties said 19 people were killed and 20 wounded, a toll confirmed by officials from the three hospitals where the victims were taken. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
An Iraqi photographer and driver employed by Reuters news agency were killed Thursday in eastern Baghdad, the London-based agency said. The hospital officials said the two Reuters staffers—identified as photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver Saeed Chmagh, 40—were among the 19 dead in Amin.
“The cause of their deaths was unclear, although witnesses spoke of an explosion in the area,” Reuters said.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have been cracking down on Shiite militants even as they wage offensives in and around Baghdad aimed at uprooting Sunni insurgents and extremists from al-Qaida in Iraq. The campaign seeks to reduce violence in the capital to boost the government as it tries to push through political reforms.
In southern Iraq, clashes erupted between Shiite militants and the Iraqi army, killing a soldier and a civilian in the city of Diwaniyah, police said. The clashes came hours after the U.S. military said aircraft struck a group of militants planting a roadside bomb before dawn, killing five of the militants.
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“The clashes came hours after the U.S. military said aircraft struck a group of militants planting a roadside bomb before dawn, killing five of the militants.”
I love that. Surprise Ali-baba, here’s a kiss from Uncle Sam for you. A little 30 mike-mike enema.
In all seriousness, we have the goods on Mookie. We have three carriers on station. Shall I give the command?
July 12th, 2007 at 9:40 amTora, tora tora…….
Perhaps al-Reuters should change sides.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:00 am“Whack-A-Mole”
Just keep pounding them back down.
July 12th, 2007 at 12:09 pmIt’s a shame nobody reads the daily press releases out of Iraq - they in themselves tell of good progress. We are ROLLING the enemy up - if someone would take the time to tally the daily reports - they’d see that..
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=1&id=4&Itemid=21
July 12th, 2007 at 4:08 pm