3 GIs killed in ‘Sunni triangle’

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A U.S. soldier takes cover after an attack on a military convoy in the Iraqi town of Mosul, August 12, 2003. U.S. administrator in Iraq (news - web sites) Paul Bremer said on August 13 that American troops were 'not sitting ducks' in Iraq, where they come under constant attack from opponents of U.S. occupation. Asked how long U.S. troops would stay in Iraq, Bremer told ABC's 'Good Morning America' show: 'I guess we will be here a while.' Photo by Akram Saleh/******* *******/Akram Saleh

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A U.S. soldier directs an Iraq (news - web sites) worker at right as he puts up barbed wire, during the setting up of a new U.S. army base on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday Aug.13, 2003. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)


By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer

TIKRIT, Iraq - The U.S. military Wednesday said two American soldiers were killed in guerrilla bomb attacks during the past 24 hours. The deaths brought to 60 the number of U.S. troops killed in action since May 1, when President Bush (news - web sites) declared major combat over.


In an attack Wednesday morning, one soldier was killed and another was wounded when their convoy hit a roadside bomb 15 miles south of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, the military reported. The soldiers were in an armored personnel carrier in a four-vehicle convoy, Maj. Josslyn Aberle, spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division, said.


Also Wednesday the military reported a soldier killed and two wounded in a bomb attack near Taji the day before. The military press office had no other details, but the deaths were in the same region where there was a big oil pipeline fire Tuesday and at about the same time.


Also Wednesday, U.S. troops identified Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) loyalists in custody as two key members of the ousted dictator's Republican Guard and a paymaster for his Fedayeen Saddam militia.


Officials at the 4th Infantry said they released 10 other men taken in a sweep through the outskirts of Tikrit Tuesday, keeping four in custody.


The military still had not released names but said the four included a Republican Guard corps-level chief of staff, a guard division commander and a paymaster for the militia. A fourth man kept in custody was not identified at all.


All those detained in the sweep were members of a family described as a pillar of support for the ousted regime, said U.S. Lt. Col. Steve Russell.


"They were trying to support the remnants of the former regime by organizing attacks, through funding and by trying to hide former regime members," Russell said.


The soldiers deaths came as the Bush administration faces growing questions over how long troops will remain in Iraq (news - web sites). The commander of U.S. forces has said all troops in Iraq should expect to serve for at least a year, with brief rest breaks in the region and possibly a few days at home.


On Wednesday, Iraq's U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer told ABC's "Good Morning America" that once a sovereign Iraqi government is formed, it could work out with the United States the departure of troops.


He said he expected it to take eight months to draw up a constitution, then elections would be held to create a government. That government "will want to negotiate with America, find out whether it thinks it's able to defend its own security, but my guess is we're going to be here a while."


The pipeline fire in Taji, about 12 miles north of the capital, sent flames 200 feet into the air, and a massive black cloud drifted over Baghdad for several hours Tuesday evening. Iraqi firefighters eventually put out the blaze with flame-retardant chemicals.


It was unclear whether the fire was an accident or the work of saboteurs, but many pipelines across Iraq have been hit by guerrillas seeking to destabilize U.S. reconstruction efforts.


Another pipeline fire was spotted northwest of Baghdad, near the town of Haditha.


The military also reported killing two Iraqis in separate incidents in the Baqouba region, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad. Aberle said the two were killed after opening fire on U.S. troops. She gave no other details.


A U.S. soldier was killed while riding in a Humvee in Ramadi Tuesday, a site of frequent attacks on American troops 60 miles west of Baghdad. A U.S. military spokesman said the convoy was hit by three roadside bombs wired to explode in succession. Two other soldiers were wounded.


Another American soldier was found dead in his bunk Tuesday morning at a Ramadi base. In Mosul, in the far north of the country, the U.S. military reported a soldier died when his Humvee collided with a taxi.

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Two U.S. army soldiers from the 1st Airborne Division take cover after an attack on a military convoy in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul, on Tuesday.




BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 13 — Iraqi insurgents have mounted fresh attacks on American troops occupying the country, killing three U.S. soldiers and wounding five more in assaults around Iraq’s deadly “Sunni triangle” in a 24-hour period, the military said Wednesday. In separate incidents, two Iraqis were killed overnight when U.S. forces returned fire at attackers, officials said.


IN THE LATEST attack, a U.S. soldier was killed and two were wounded when an improvised bomb was detonated near their convoy Tuesday evening in the town of Taji north of Baghdad, the U.S. Army said Wednesday. No further details were immediately available.
Earlier Wednesday, the military said a U.S. soldier was killed in an ambush southeast of ousted President Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.
The victims of that attack were riding in an armored personnel carrier, second in a four-vehicle convoy, Maj. Josslyn Aberle, spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division, said.
Two of the soldiers were taken to hospital and one later died of his wounds. The soldier was the 59th killed in attacks in Iraq since the start of May.
Less than 24 hours earlier, a U.S. soldier was killed while riding in a Humvee in Ramadi, a site of frequent attacks on American troops 60 miles west of Baghdad.
A U.S. military spokesman said the convoy was hit by three roadside bombs wired to explode in succession. Two other soldiers were wounded.
Sixty U.S. soldiers have been killed in hostile incidents since President Bush declared major combat operations over on May 1.



Most of the attacks on American forces have been concentrated in a region north of Baghdad dominated by Sunni Muslims that has become known as the “Sunni Triangle.”
Meantime, ******* reported, citing witnesses, that a U.S. military vehicle in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul was destroyed by a blast on Tuesday and four casualties were taken from the scene.
U.S. military officials had no immediate comment on the reports.
Separately on Wednesday, the military reported killing two Iraqis in separate incidents in the Baqouba region, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad on Wednesday.
In one incident, a man was shot dead after he fired on U.S. troops from a pickup van in the town of Rashidiya, just north of Baghdad.
Further north near Balad, attackers fired on a U.S. reconnaissance team. The U.S. Army said one of the assailants was killed and the rest escaped.

RAID CONCLUDES

On Tuesday, U.S. forces ended a raid focused on remote villages some 80 miles north of Baghdad, after intelligence reports suggested that Saddam loyalists may have fled there to escape repeated raids around the deposed president’s hometown of Tikrit.
On the outskirts of Tikrit, U.S. soldiers captured 14 men Tuesday in a three-hour operation, including a Republican Guard officer and one of the deposed dictator’s bodyguards. All were members of the same family, which was a key supporter of Saddam’s regime, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell.
“They were trying to support the remnants of the former regime by organizing attacks, through funding and by trying to hide former regime members,” he said.
Russell said the Republican Guard officer was a divisional chief of staff.
Operation Ivy Lightning, launched on Monday, was the latest effort by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division to hunt down pro-Saddam guerrillas blamed for a wave of attacks since Bush declared major combat over.




SEEKING ‘FOOT SOLDIERS’
On Tuesday, Iraq’s U.S. administrator urged Iraqis and the world to look beyond the daily shootouts and power cuts to newly found freedoms in Iraq.
“I don’t accept the definition of a country in chaos. Most of this country is at peace,” L. Paul Bremer told reporters.
“We have a problem with attacks against coalition forces in a small area of the country by a small group of bitter-end people who are resisting the new Iraq. We will deal with them and we will dominate them. They will either be killed or they will be captured.”
Bremer said that while Iraqis complain of unsafe streets and shortages of power, they must also realize that Saddam’s fall has improved their lives.
“I think it’s important to ... look beyond the shootouts and blackouts and remind ourselves of a range of rights that Iraqis enjoy today because of the coalition’s military victory,” he said.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
In an effort to relieve the stress on U.S. troops in Iraq, a U.S. commander told the Associated Press that he is trying to get approval for a two-week break for his soldiers. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said that the troops have been told their tours will be of one-year duration, but he is hoping they can take the break halfway through.


A top Bush administration official said American troops won’t leave Iraq before weapons of mass destruction are found. Following security talks with Australia’s prime minister, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said he has “absolute confidence” such weapons will be found.