http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/world/middleeast/04iraq.html?th&emc=th
The Insurgency By KIRK SEMPLE NY Times: April 4, 2006 BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 3 - In the deadliest day for American forces since the beginning of the year, at least nine members of the military were killed in the insurgent stronghold of Anbar Province, including four in a rebel attack and at least five when their truck accidentally flipped over, the American military command said Monday. Foreign Minister Jack Straw of Britain and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Sunday with Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq's prime minister, to press for an end to paralysis in forming a government. Three marines and one sailor were killed on Sunday in the rebel assault, the military reported, offering no further information. It was the largest number of American deaths in a single attack in more than a month. In another part of Anbar on Sunday, a flash flood toppled a seven-ton truck, killing five marines riding inside it and wounding one, the military said. Two marines and one Navy corpsman in the truck were missing, officials said. Wrapping up a quick visit here, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Jack Straw, the British foreign secretary, pressed Iraqi leaders for a second day on Monday to form a coalition government as quickly as possible, in order to end a power vacuum in which insurgent attacks, sectarian violence and general lawlessness have flourished. Underscoring their concerns, three car bombs exploded in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad, killing 13 people and wounding at least 19. One car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque in the Shaab neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding 13, an official at the Interior Ministry said. Another detonated in Talibiya, killing one civilian and wounding six, the official said. And a third exploded in Sadr City, killing two people including a 9-year-old boy, the Associated Press reported. The American command said the truck that rolled over in Anbar had been part of a logistics convoy. Two of the missing marines were assigned to the First Marine Logistics Group and the third was assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7, the military authorities said. The death toll was the highest since Jan. 5, when 11 Americans were killed in several different attacks. At least 13 members of the American military have died so far this month, setting a pace that could interrupt a trend of steadily declining casualties over the past five months. The monthly tally of at least 31 deaths in March was the second lowest since the invasion of Iraq three years ago. The declining American casualties have coincided with a sharp increase in Iraqi civilian deaths, reflecting a significant shift in the nature of the conflict as insurgent groups and sectarian death squads have focused primarily on civilian targets. The American military reported last week that from Feb. 22 to March 22, 1,313 civilians were killed, many in sectarian violence, while 173 civilians died in car bombings, a hallmark of the insurgency. But the sudden spike in deaths among American troops in the past few days was a stark reminder that the American-led forces still remain a primary target. This situation is particularly true in the predominantly Sunni Arab region of Anbar, where the conflict is almost entirely a fight between the Sunni-led insurgency and American forces. The latest American deaths were reported as representatives of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari frantically lobbied other political leaders in an attempt to salvage his bid to retain his post in the next government. But opposition to his candidacy continued to mount Monday as his political adversaries reaffirmed their stance against him, including members of the dominant Shiite bloc, who on Sunday publicly demanded that he resign, and Kurdish and Sunni Arab leaders, who for weeks have been pushing for another candidate. During a news conference on Monday morning, at the end of their unusual joint visit, Mr. Straw and Ms. Rice repeatedly deflected questions about their views of Mr. Jaafari. Though Ms. Rice and Mr. Straw said they did not intend to intervene in the dispute, the Bush administration has been quietly pressuring Shiite leaders to drop Mr. Jaafari and choose another candidate. The two diplomats appeared tense during a photo session with the prime minister on Sunday, but relaxed and enthusiastic at other meetings. The fracturing of the Shiite bloc became clear on Sunday when the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the country's most powerful Shiite party, publicly announced it would put forward another candidate. Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Supreme Council member, lost to Mr. Jaafari by one vote in a secret ballot for the bloc's nomination in February. *** Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Sunday, 2 April 2006. Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member, editorial board, the Free Arab Voice. http://www.freearabvoice.org Sunday, 2 April 2006. · Resistance sharpshooter kills US soldier in al-Karmah near al-Fallujah. · Resistance forces mount two attacks on US headquarters in al-Fallujah area, seizing weapons from one American post. · Massive Resistance bomb reportedly kills four US troops in ar-Ramadi. · Two US troops reported killed in Resistance bombing in al-Habbaniyah. · Resistance bomb reportedly kills US soldier near Abu Ghurayb. · US troops beat, humiliate, arrest 70-year old woman in Samarra', threatening her honor if her son, a reputed Resistance commander, does not surrender. · British forces arrest Jaysh al-Mahdi militiamen loyal to Muqtada as-Sadr in al-Basrah. Al-Anbar Province. Al-Fallujah. Resistance sharpshooter kills US soldier in al-Karmah near al-Fallujah. In a dispatch posted at 4:50pm Makkah (Mecca) time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance marksman shot and killed a US soldier in the al-Karmah area to the east of al-Fallujha, about 60km west of Baghdad. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported eyewitnesses in al-Karmah as saying that a US foot patrol was walking along a branch of the river when one of the US soldiers took a direct hit from a Resistance sharpshooter's bullet, killing him instantly. Resistance forces mount two attacks on US headquarters in al-Fallujah area, seizing weapons from one American post. In a dispatch posted at 1:30pm Makkah time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that Iraqi Resistance forces mounted a massive attack on headquarters of US occupation forces in the `Amiriyat al-Fallujah suburb about 7km southwest of al-Fallujah. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported local eyewitnesses in `Amiriyat al-Fallujah as saying that the Resistance forces fired five heavy 120mm mortar shells into the housing complex in the town. Two US Humvees were totally destroyed in that attack and the headquarters was heavily damaged. Smoke was seen rising from the US-occupied facility. Quds Press reported a source in the Iraqi puppet police as saying that Resistance fighters had assaulted the US base at the entrance to the al-Faris housing complex in al-Fallujah with four rockets, causing direct hits and damage, particularly to the American checkpoint at the entrance to their camp. Three US military vehicles were reported on fire but Quds Press had no precise information on the nature or extent of casualties as the Americans had cordoned off the area completely. Resistance fighters armed with light and medium weapons and pipe rockets also attacked the US headquarters in the al-`Annaz area south of al-Fallujah. The Resistance fighters stormed the American post and seized the weapons there after the US soldiers fled. The Resistance fighters then withdrew from the post having suffered no casualties. Quds Press, for its part, reported local eyewitnesses as saying that the Resistance fighters managed to take a number of American Marines hostage during the battle. Witnesses in the area of al-`Annaz told Quds Press that the Resistance attack on a home used as a billet by American forces sparked a battle that lasted three hours in which Resistance fighters used light and medium weapons and rocket launchers. The Americans called in air support from helicopters, but the Resistance fighters were able to keep the US troops engaged as other Resistance fighters stormed the US headquarters, seizing American weapons and ammunition. There were also unconfirmced reports from independent sources that a number of US Marines were taken prisoner. Since the withdrawal of the Resistance forces from the area on Sunday, morning, Quds Press reported, US forces had been sending out heavy patrols in search of the Resistance fighters or at least to find out who it was that mounted the attack. Some local people interpret that effort as a sign that the Americans are trying to locate captured US personnel. The Quds Press correspondent reported that the US military had so far made no comment on the fighting. Ar-Ramadi. Massive Resistance bomb reportedly kills four US troops in ar-Ramadi. In a dispatch posted at 11:40am Makkah time Sunday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a column of several US Humvees as it drove down 17 Street in the middle of ar-Ramadi, about 110km west of Baghdad. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the blast totally destroyed one vehicle and disabled a second. Four US troops were killed and two others wounded in the attack. The correspondent reported seeing body parts of the dead Americans thrown more tan 10 meters from the epicenter of the blast. The correspondent saw a US soldier picking up the severed leg of one of the American victims and put it in a bag by itself. The explosion that blasted the two American vehicles was so powerful that it shattered the glass in store windows and homes more than 200 meters from the scene. Al-Habbaniyah. Resistance bomb wounds US troops near water treatment plant in al-Habbaniyah. In a dispatch posted at 3:10pm Makkah time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US military column on the main road in the Kawlikum area in al-Habbaniyah, 69km west of Baghdad. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported eyewitnesses in Kawlikum as saying that a bomb that had been planted by the side of the main road near the water purification plant blew up, disabling one Humvee and wounding the four American troops who were aboard it. Two US troops reported killed in Resistance bombing in al-Habbaniyah. In a dispatch posted at 10:30am Makkah time Sunday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US column on the road to the as-Saqr Air Base in al-Habbaniyah, 69km west of Baghdad. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported residents of al-Habbaniyah who witnessed the attack as saying that a bomb that had been planted by the side of the road between al-Habbaniyah and the US base blew up as a column of American Humvees was driving past. The explosion completely destroyed one Humvee, killing two US troops and severely wounding a third. Al-Qa'im. Resistance bomb blasts US troops in al-Qa'im before dawn. In a dispatch posted at 12 noon Makkah time Sunday, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US military patrol in the middle of the city of al-Qa'im in western Iraq near the border with Syria. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the bomb exploded on the main road in the middle of the city at 3am before dawn local time. No information on the nature or extent of casualties was available because the nighttime curfew was in place at the time of the attack. Abu Ghurayb. Resistance bomb reportedly kills US soldier near Abu Ghurayb. An Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US military column on a road in the al-Haswah area in the vicinity of Abu Ghurayb, some 30km west of Baghdad at noon Sunday, Quds Press reported. Local witnesses told the Quds Press correspondent that a bomb that had been planted by the side of a road near Abu Ghurayb blew up by a passing American column destroying a US amphibious vehicle and killing one American soldier and wounding two more of them. Immediately after the attack, US troops, as usual, deployed to seal off the area, closing th roads and preventing traffic from moving. A US helicopter was observed flying into the area. Salah ad-Din Province. Yathrib. US troops blasted by bomb on road from Yathrib to Baghdad. In a dispatch posted at 8:50pm Makkah time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US military column on the main road from the city of Yathrib, some 75km north of Baghdad. The Yathrib correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the bomb disabled one Humvee, wounding three American troops who were aboard it. Resistance bombards US al-Bakr Air base. In a dispatch posted at 8:15pm Makkah time Sunday night, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that Iraqi Resistance forces fired a mortar barrage into the US-occupied al-Bakr Air Base near the city of Yathrib, about 100km north of Baghdad. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported local eyewitnesses as saying that the barrage set off explosions inside the American-occupied facility and sent plumes of smoke rising into the sky. Samarra'. US troops arrest 70-year old woman, threaten to rape her if her son, a reputed Resistance commander, does not surrender. In a dispatch posted at 3:55pm Makkah time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that US occupation forces arrested an elderly Iraqi woman of about 70 in Samarra', about 120km north of Baghdad at about 1:30am Sunday morning. The Samarra' correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported a relative of Hajjah Fadlah Khalaf as saying that the US troops raided the al-Hawi area in the middle of the city and arrested the elderly woman who is reportedly the mother of one of the Iraqi Resistance commanders. The Americans left a message for the woman's son, saying that the "honor of your mother depends on you turning yourself in," the source said. The source, who asked not to be identified, told the Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent that the occupation forces blindfolded the woman and put her in one if their Humvees after humiliating her and beating her in the head and chest in front of the local residents as part of their message to the woman's son. The source said that the son had no relatives in Samarra' other than his mother, and that it was for this reason that the Americans arrested her to use as a bargaining chip with her son. Bayji. Resistance bomb blasts puppet police in Bayji. In a dispatch posted at 2:20pm Makkah time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a puppet police patrol on the main road in the northern part of Bayji, about 200km north of Baghdad. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported a source in the Bayji puppet police as saying that a bomb that had been planted by the side of the main road to the al-Bu`ayji area blew up, destroying one patrol vehicle and wounding three puppet policemen, one of them seriously. Tikrit. Resistance bomb blasts US column in central Tikrit Sunday morning. In a dispatch posted at 11:40am Makkah time Sunday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that an Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded by a US military column on 40 Street in the middle of Tikrit Sunday morning. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported eyewitnesses in Tikrit as saying that the blast disabled a Humvee, killing or wounding the four American troops aboard it. Balad. Resistance mortars pound US base in Balad Saturday evening. In a dispatch posted at 9:40am Makkah time Sunday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that Iraqi Resistance forces fired five heavy 120mm mortar rounds into the US occupation forces base in Balad, about 85km north of Baghdad, on Saturday evening. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported eyewitnesses in Balad as saying that the barrage set off explosions inside the US-occupied facility and sent plumes of smoke rising into the sky. Diyala Province. Ba`qubah. Resistance fighters ambush puppet "Shock Troops" in Ba`qubah. In a dispatch posted at 11:50am Makkah time Sunday morning, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that Iraqi Resistance fighters ambushed a patrol of puppet "Iraqi Interior Ministry Shock Troops (Maghawir)" on the main road near the ash-Shurtah neighborhood of Ba`qubah, about 65km northeast of Baghdad. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported eyewitnesses in Ba`qubah as saying that the Resistance fighters, who were armed with light and medium weapons, killed two "Shock Troops" and wounded three more of them. At the time of reporting puppet police and "Shock Troops" had encircled a number of neighborhoods in the city and were carrying out house-to-house raids and searches. At-Ta'mim Province. Kirkuk. Two Resistance bombs blast US troops, puppet police in Kirkuk Saturday night. In a dispatch posted at 12:50pm Makkah time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that two Iraqi Resistance bombs exploded in the at-Takrir area of central Kirkuk on Saturday night. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported eyewitnesses in Kirkuk as saying that the first bomb went off by a US military patrol on the main road in the at-Takrir neighborhood. The blast damaged one of the patrol vehicles. The second bomb was planted near the first and it blew up as puppet policemen were surrounding the area of the first explosion. One officer in the puppet police was wounded in the second bomb blast. Al-Basrah Province. Al-Basrah. British forces arrest Jaysh al-Mahdi militiamen loyal to Muqtada as-Sadr in al-Basrah. In a dispatch posted at 3:50pm Makkah time Sunday afternoon, Mafkarat al-Islam reported that in their latest wave of arrests in the city, British troops took a number of members of Muqtada as-Sadr's Jaysh al-Mahdi militia into custody in the al-Karmah area north of al-Basrah. Quds Press reported British forces as announcing that the arrests were carried out in the al-Harithah area, 20km north of al-Basrah, and in the al-Jumhuriyah area near the center of the city. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported that the British occupation forces issued a statement saying that the arrest followed the explosion of a bomb that killed a civilian in the al-Muwaffaqiyah section of the city. The British held the Jaysh al-Mahdi responsible for that attack which took place on Sunday, 26 March. For its part the Jaysh al-Mahdi command issued a statement saying that the British arrests were an attempt to terrorize innocent Iraqis and that it was an attempt to sweep the as-Sadr movement into an armed battle against the British forces. The Jaysh al-Mahdi statement called for the immediate release of the arrested militiamen and warned the British and the puppet "Iraqi National Guard" that the Jaysh al-Mahdi reserved the right to respond in the time and way it regards as appropriate. Mafkarat al-Islam reported that relations between the British occupation forces and the Jaysh al-Mahdi have been tense following the US raid on the al-Mustafa Shi`i mosque in Baghdad. Sources: http://www.qudspress.com/data/aspx/d40/18090.aspx http://www.qudspress.com/data/aspx/d45/18095.aspx http://www.qudspress.com/data/aspx/d44/18094.aspx http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105145 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105142 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105128 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105123 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105122 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105121 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105115 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105113 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105110 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105109 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105107 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105106 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105105 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105103 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105102 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105101 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105096 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105095 http://www.islammemo.cc/news/one_news.asp?IDNews=105094 -- S najboljim zeljama, baclawa mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] PRFW Yahoogroup Owner http://groups.yahoo.com/group/prfw _______________________________________________ Rad-Green mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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