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Message #113458 posted by forged registration (Info) March 22, 2008 13:44:48 ET
4 Americans Killed in Iraq; U.S. Attack Leaves 6 Dead Amid a Dispute
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and ANWAR J. ALI
Published: March 23, 2008
BAGHDAD — Four American soldiers were killed near the capital in the past two days, the military said Saturday, and north of Baghdad an American attack helicopter killed six people who the Iraqi police said were pro-American Sunni militia fighters.
The latest American troop deaths pushed the toll of United States service members killed since the beginning of the war five years ago to 3,996, according to several independent tallies.
Three soldiers were killed when militants attacked their patrol with a roadside bomb northwest of the capital on Saturday, the military command in Baghdad reported. Two Iraqi civilians also died.
The fourth American soldier was killed south of the capital on Friday by indirect fire, which normally refers to mortar shells or rockets. Four other soldiers were wounded in the attack, according to a military statement, which did not provide any more details.
Violence in Iraq dropped sharply late last year, especially in Baghdad and Anbar Province, but the decline in casualties has halted. Since the beginning of the year, Sunni guerrillas and Shiite militants have been killing an average of about one American service member per day. Civilian deaths have also begun to rise in recent weeks. But casualty tallies still remain well below those of a year ago.
Much of the security gains have been attributed to the decision of Sunnis, many of whom were guerrilla fighters, to become American-backed neighborhood militia guards, paid about $300 a month by the military.
But as the program has expanded, some militia groups have been infiltrated by Sunni militants still at war with American forces. And in some cases American troops have had trouble distinguishing the former insurgents working for the Americans from active fighters who are not.
Details were sharply disputed regarding the attack Saturday near Samarra that an Iraqi police official said left the six pro-American Sunni militia guards dead.
One Sunni militia leader in the area said the men who were killed had been staffing a legitimate checkpoint. But the American military command for northern Iraq said the helicopter fired on men who appeared to be trying to bury a roadside bomb.
“American forces said that the people they killed were gunmen, but they were my men, and they were even wearing Awakening uniforms,” said Abu Farouk, a leader of pro-American Awakening militia forces near Samarra. Two other Sunni militia fighters were wounded.
American military officials acknowledged that six people were killed by an Apache helicopter, but they rejected the account provided by the Iraqi police official and Abu Farouk.
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