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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN)
--
The remains of two U.S. contractors who were kidnapped
in Iraq have been found, FBI officials said Monday.
Iraqi soldiers
Monday stand at the spot where a
roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers
a day earlier in Baghdad.
The bureau identified the two as Ronald
Withrow of Roaring Springs, Texas, abducted on January 5, 2007,
and John Roy Young of Kansas City, Missouri, who was captured on
November 16, 2006.
Withrow worked for Las Vegas, Nevada-based
JPI Worldwide Inc., and Young worked for Crescent Security
Group.
The FBI said it had notified the families of
the contractors.
Meanwhile, four U.S. soldiers died Sunday
night in a roadside bombing in Iraq, military officials
reported, bringing the American toll in the 5-year-old war to
4,000 deaths.
The four were killed when a homemade bomb
hit their vehicle as they patrolled in a southern Baghdad
neighborhood, the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq said. A
fifth soldier was wounded.
The grim milestone comes less than a week
after the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.
"No casualty is more or less significant
than another; each soldier, Marine, airman and sailor is equally
precious and their loss equally tragic," said Rear Adm. Gregory
Smith, the U.S. military's chief spokesman in Iraq.
"Every single loss of a soldier, sailor,
airman or Marine is keenly felt by military commanders, families
and friends both in theater and at home."
Of the 4,000 U.S. military personnel killed
in the
war,
3,263 have died in attacks and fighting and 737 in nonhostile
incidents, such as traffic accidents and suicides. Eight of
those killed were civilians working for the Pentagon. The
numbers are based on Pentagon data counted by CNN.
President Bush made remarks about lives lost
in Iraq at the State Department on Monday.
"One day, people will look back at this
moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous
people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for
peace for generations to come,' " he said. "I have vowed in the
past and I will vow so long as I'm president to make sure that
those lives were not lost in vain; that, in fact, there's an
outcome that will merit the sacrifice that civilian and military
alike have made."
Also Sunday, at least 35 Iraqis died as the
result of suicide bombings, mortar fire and the work of gunmen
in cars who opened fire on a crowded outdoor market. Nearly 100
were wounded in the violence.
Estimates of the Iraqi death toll since the
war began range from about 80,000 to the hundreds of thousands.
Another 2 million Iraqis have been forced to
leave the country, and 2.5 million have been displaced from
their homes within Iraq, according to the U.N. High Commissioner
for Refugees.
Many of the Iraqis and U.S. troops killed
over the years, like the four soldiers slain Sunday in
Baghdad,
have been targeted by improvised explosive devices -- the
roadside bombs that have come to symbolize Iraq's tenacious
insurgency.
The Pentagon's Joint Improvised Explosive
Device Defeat Organization has been developed to counter the
threat of roadside bombs in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. The
group calls such bombs the "weapon of choice for adaptive and
resilient networks of insurgents and terrorists."
Nearly 160,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq,
and the war has cost U.S. taxpayers about $600 billion,
according to the House Budget Committee.
Senior U.S. military officials are preparing
to recommend to Bush a four- to six-week pause in additional
troop withdrawals from Iraq after the last of the so-called
surge brigades leaves in July, CNN learned last week from U.S.
military officials familiar with the recommendations but not
authorized to talk about them.
The return of all five brigades added to the
Iraq contingent last year could reduce troop levels by up to
30,000 but still leave about 130,000 or more troops in Iraq.
Also Monday, the U.S. military said six
people killed in a weekend attack were "terrorists" and not
members of an American-backed militia, as initially reported.
Those first reports suggested the area of
Saturday's helicopter strike may have been a Sons of Iraq
checkpoint. Such groups are generically referred to as Awakening
Councils -- largely Sunni security forces that the U.S. military
have recruited.
A police official in the north-central city
of Samarra said the helicopter mistakenly hit a Sons of Iraq
checkpoint, killing the six. But the U.S. military said that it
believes those killed were not part of the Sons of Iraq.
"I can tell you that two of these
individuals were fiddling with something on the side of the road
and trying to hide themselves under a blanket when they heard
the helicopter," said Maj. Bradford Leighton. "The location of
the checkpoint was not at or near any known Sons of Iraq
checkpoint."
A joint Iraqi-U.S.-led coalition force is
investigating the deaths.
Other developments
Two U.S. government employees -- an
American and a Jordanian -- were seriously wounded Sunday when
projectiles were fired into Baghdad's International Zone,
according to a U.S. government official. He said Monday that the
two are in stable condition. Mortars and possibly rockets were
fired early Sunday in the area, also known as the Green Zone,
site of Iraqi government offices and the U.S. and British
embassies.
Three insurgents were killed and eight were
detained during Sunday and Monday raids targeting al Qaeda in
Iraq, the U.S. military said. Troops on Monday killed an "armed
terrorist" in Tikrit and another in western Baghdad, the
military said. Two people were detained in Tikrit and six in
Baghdad. An armed man was killed in a raid Sunday in the
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Sunday, 30 March 2008
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Multi-National
Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080331-03
March 31, 2008
ISF, CF kill 8
criminals, detain 2 others in pursuit to secure streets
of Baghdad
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD, Iraq
– Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers killed
eight criminals and detained two in separate incidents
in Baghdad March 30.
At 6 a.m., Soldiers
from 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Division, were at a
checkpoint in the Kadamiyah district when they reported
receiving small-arms fire coming from the north. The
Soldiers were approached by criminals on foot, and an
aerial weapons team was called in to fire on the
criminals. The aerial strike killed three criminals and
injured one criminal.
At 7 a.m., Soldiers
from 4th BCT, 10th Mountain Division, detained a
criminal in the Karkh district based on suspicion of
being highly involved with smuggling explosively formed
penetrators and with ties to the fighting in Basra.
At 11:15 a.m.,
Soldiers from 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. engaged and killed
a criminal who was emplacing an improvised explosive
device in New Baghdad.
At approximately noon,
Soldiers from 1st BN., 2nd Stryker Cav. Regt. reported
encountering a complex attack involving small-arms fire
and attacks from rocket-propelled grenades while
patrolling in eastern Baghdad. The Soldiers engaged and
killed three criminals.
At 1 p.m., Soldiers
from 22nd Bn., 6th Iraqi Army Div. arrested an Iraqi man
after he was searched at a security checkpoint in
Kadamiyah. The man was found to be carrying a large
amount of illegal ammunition.
At 3:40 p.m., Soldiers
from 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. reported receiving five
mortar rounds at Joint Security Station al-Khansa in New
Baghdad. The Soldiers fired three rounds to counter the
attack, then a sniper from the unit engaged and killed
one of the criminals. The Soldiers requested an air
strike, which destroyed the criminals’ mortar tube.
“We will be relentless
in our pursuit of those breaking the law,” said Lt. Col.
Steve Stover, MND-B spokesman. “If these criminals
continue to attack innocent Iraqis and Coalition forces,
we will pursue them and bring them to justice.”
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BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad
Soldiers killed 25
criminals in eastern Baghdad March 30.Soldiers from 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, were traveling in a
combat patrol to investigate a possible point of origin for an
indirect fire attack when their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected
vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.
Immediately after the IED attack, Soldiers discovered a
second IED in the area and attempted to secure it.
While attempting to secure the IED, they were attacked with
indirect fire, rocket propelled grenades and small-arms fire
from a house in the vicinity of the IED strike.
An aerial weapons team was called in to support the Soldiers
on the ground. A mortar team was spotted on the roof of the
house where the attack was coming from, and the AWT defended the
Soldiers on the ground and killed 25 criminals.
One Soldier was injured in the IED attack.
“We will defend ourselves when attacked by armed criminals,”
said Lt. Col. Steven Stover, MND-B spokesman. “We are not the
aggressors, but we will defend ourselves and the Iraqi people
with all resources available to us.”
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Two Royal Marines have been killed
in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of
Defence said.
The soldiers, serving with 40
Commando Royal Marines, were on patrol near Kajaki, in
Helmand Province, shortly before 5pm local time on Sunday
when their vehicle was caught in an explosion.
Medical treatment was provided
before both soldiers were taken to the field hospital at
Camp Bastion.
Despite the best efforts of the
medical team, both soldiers died as a result of their
wounds. Next of kin have been informed.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman
said: "It is with much sadness that the Ministry of Defence
must confirm that two soldiers serving with 40 Commando
Royal Marines have been killed in an explosion on Sunday,
30th March 2008, in southern Afghanistan.
"Just after 1653 local time, the
soldiers were conducting a patrol in the vicinity of Kajaki,
Helmand Province, when the vehicle they were travelling in
was caught in an explosion.
"Next of kin have been informed and
there will be a 24 hour period of grace before further
details are released."
The International Security
Assistance Force said one of the soldiers was pronounced
dead on arrival at Camp Bastion and the second died shortly
afterwards.
Task Force Helmand spokesperson Lt
Col Simon Millar said: "Our thoughts are with the families
and loved ones of the soldiers who have been killed in this
incident."
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A hero Royal Marine could be
in line for a Victoria Cross medal after
throwing himself over an exploding grenade in
southern Afghanistan in a bid to shield his
comrades.
Lance Corporal Matthew
Croucher, 24, let his rucksack take the force of the
blast - and his three pals escaped with just cuts
and bruises.
L/Cpl Croucher, whose brave
actions gave him a nose bleed, could be the first
Royal Marine since 1945 to win the award.
His citation has been passed
to the Commanding officer of 40 Commando and will go
to a committee which decides on the award of VCs.
L/Cpl Croucher, from
Birmingham, was taking part in a mission to uncover
a suspected Taliban bomb-making factory in Helmand
Province in February.
But his foot brushed a
tripwire and he saw a pineapple-type grenade with
the pin coming out.
He shouted: "Grenade, take
cover," as two of his comrades were only metres
behind him.
His backpack, containing a
medical pack, shoulder-launched rocket and medical
equipment, took the full force of the blast.
L/Cpl Croucher told The
Times newspaper: "I thought, I've set the bloody
thing off and I'm going to do whatever it takes to
protect the others. I'm very tight with the three
other guys. There have been a few times when they've
saved my bacon.
He told the newspaper he had
a nose bleed and it was 30 seconds before he
realised he was still alive.
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By Bill RoggioMarch
29, 2008 10:07 PM
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About 200
demonstrators held a rally to support the
military operations in Basra and Maliki's
government, in Diwaniya on Saturday.
Reuters
Photograph. |
With the fifth day of fighting in Baghdad, Basrah and
the South completed, the Mahdi Army has suffered major
losses over the past 36 hours. The Mahdi Army
has not faired well
over the past five days of fighting, losing an estimated
two percent of its combat power, using the best case
estimate for the size of the militia.
A look at the open source press reports from the US
and Iraqi military and the established newspapers
indicates 145 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 81 were
wounded, 98 were captured, and 30 surrendered during the
past 36 hours.
Since the fighting began on Tuesday 358 Mahdi Army
fighters were killed, 531 were wounded, 343 were
captured, and 30 surrendered. The US and Iraqi security
forces have killed 125 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad
alone, while Iraqi security forces have killed 140 Mahdi
fighters in Basra.
While the size of the Mahdi Army is a constant source
of debate, media accounts often put the Mahdi Army at
anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 fighters. With an
estimated 1,000 Mahdi fighters killed, captured, wounded
and surrendered, the Mahdi Army has taken an attrition
rate of 1.5 to 2.5 percent over the past five days.
The political front
The major political parties in the ruling Coalition
remain united
in supporting the offensive against the Mahdi Army and
the Iranian-backed Special Groups cells. President Jalal
Talabani and Massoud Barazani, the president of the
Kurdish Regional Government reiterated their support for
the operation on Friday, while Prime Minister Nouri al
Maliki ratcheted up the rhetoric against the Shia terror
groups.
Maliki called the Shia terrorists " worse
than al Qaeda"
and vowed to remain in Basrah until the operation is
completed. "Our determination is strong ... those who
break the law are punished, and those who draw their
weapons in the face of the state are punished," Maliki
said on Iraqi state television.
Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Iranian-backed
Mahdi Army currently sheltering in Iran, has called on
his militia to keep their weapons in defiance to
Maliki's order, and but still calls for negotiated
settlement to the fighting as well as civil
disobedience. "Muqtada al Sadr asks his followers not to
deliver weapons to the government," said Hassan Zargan,
a Sadr aide. "Weapons should be turned over only to a
government which can expel the (US) occupiers."
The Sadrist movement
claimed numerous Iraqi policemen
and soldiers are defecting.
"Groups of Iraqi troops came to us to lay down their
arms," said Sheikh Salam al Afraiji, the leader of the
Sadrist movement in eastern Baghdad.
But the spokesman of Baghdad Operations Command
denied Iraqi security forces are
defecting en masse.
"The registered number that we have [defecting to the
Sadrists] is that 15 soldiers were able to escape," said
Major General Qassim Atta in a briefing today in
Baghdad. Atta stressed that there are over 50,000 Iraqi
security forces operating in Baghdad, and some level of
defections should be expected. Atta also said Maliki has
"ordered [the military] to prosecute those soldiers
according to the Military Punishments Law."
Fighting in Baghdad remains intense
Some of the heaviest fighting in Iraq is occurring in
the Mahdi Army-dominated Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad.
The government has
extended the around the clock
curfew
indefinitely in Baghdad until the security situation
improves.
The intensity in fighting is reflected in the number
of press releases issued by Multinational Forces Iraq
over the past 24 hours. The US military has issued six
separate press releases on fighting in Baghdad over the
past 36 hours, and an additional release
from Suwayrah,
just south of Baghdad.
Seventy Mahdi Army and Special Groups fighters were
killed
in a
series of clashes
with US and Iraqi security forces. The
fighting
included engagements
in and around Sadr City
as well as a strike
against a Mahdi Army rocket and
mortar team
in eastern Baghdad.
Basrah
The fighting in Basrah continues as Iraqi forces
attempt to dislodge the Mahdi Army from their
strongholds in the city. Forty-four Mahdi Army fighters
have been killed during fighting in Basrah over the past
24 hours.
McClatchy newspapers reports 39 bodies were
taken to the morgue
on Saturday. Twenty Mahdi Army fighters were reported
killed and another 22 wounded during separate
engagements with US and Iraqi forces. Another 22 Mahdi
Army fighters were
killed
by Iraqi Special Operations Forces operating with US
Special Forces advisers.
US and British warplanes have begun to
conduct strikes against Mahdi Army
positions
inside Basrah, while the British forces have conducted
counter-battery fire against Mahdi Army mortar teams.
The Three British battlegroups at the Basrah airport,
consisting of 650 men each, are said to be preparing to
enter Basrah to support the Iraqi Army and police.
Nasiriyah, Diwaniyah appear to be back under
government control
The strategic city of Nasiriyah, which sits at the
crossroads of southern Iraq, appears to be back under
government control after an unconfirmed report on March
28 that indicated the Mahdi Army was occupying the
center of the city. "Security forces controlled the
situation in the city's districts and neighborhoods
after limited confrontations with the gunmen,"
said Radi al Rekabi,
the media spokesman for the provincial police.
The 24 hour casualty total in Nasiriyah from March
27-28 was 30 killed, including 10 Mahdi Army fighters,
four police and 16 civilians killed. Nineteen policemen,
26 civilians and 7 Mahdi fighters were wounded, while
another 13 Mahdi fighters were captured.
While there has been few press reports from Diwaniyah,
several hundred residents felt the security situation
was good enough to
hold a rally
in the center of the city. More than 200 demonstrators
marched in support for Maliki's operation to uproot the
Mahdi Army in Basra. Police and tribal militias were
also
seen patrolling
the streets.
Networks disrupted in Babil, Karbala
Iraqi security forces appear to have uprooted two
large Mahdi Army networks in the city of Karbala and in
Babil province. Iraqi police launched a major operation
in Karbala on Friday night. Twelve Mahdi Army fighters
were
killed,
50 were wounded, and another 30
surrendered,
Major General Raed Shakir Jawdat, the operations
commander for Karbala told Voices of Iraq.
Police also seized 25 missile launchers, 60 rifles, five
mortars and a large amount of ammunition, Raed said.
Police have been active in Babil province since the
operation in Basrah kicked off on March 25. Eighty-five
Mahdi Fighters have been
captured
and "a large number of gunmen were killed," an unnamed
source told Voices of Iraq. The Hillah Special
Weapons and Tactics police teams
killed
14 Special Groups fighters and wounded 20 on March 28.
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