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Six U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq; Shiites Head to Najaf to Protest
By Aaron Sheldrick
April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Six American soldiers were killed in attacks in Iraq, the military said, as Shiites gathered to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad amid calls for more attacks on U.S. forces.
Three Multi-National Division - Center soldiers were killed yesterday south of Baghdad when a roadside bomb went off near the vehicle they were traveling in and three others died in attacks around the country, the U.S. military said in separate statements, e-mailed late from the Iraqi capital. The names of the deceased are being withheld until their next of kin are notified.
Thousands of Shiites headed for the city of Najaf today for an anti-American rally to mark the fall of Saddam Hussein, responding to a call from the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who urged Iraq's army to unite with his militias against the U.S. military, the New York Times reported today. The U.S. force build-up in Iraq has shown little sign of success, the Times reported in a separate article.
Sadr's call came after the U.S. used jets to attack Shiite militiamen in ad Diwaniyah, south-southwest of Baghdad, the Times said. At least seven Iraqis were killed, it said.
``The strife that is taking place in Diwaniya was planned by the occupier to drag down the brothers and make them quarrel, fight and even kill each other,'' Sadr was cited as saying in a written statement. ``Oh my brothers in the Mahdi Army and my brothers in the security forces, stop fighting and killing because that is what our enemy and your enemy and even God's enemy hope for.''
Baghdad Plan
Sadr and the Mahdi Army were keeping a lower profile after the Baghdad Security Plan went into effect in mid-February to try to stop sectarian conflict between Shias and Sunnis.
The central purpose of the plan, to create stability in Baghdad so Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds can work out arrangements for running the country, isn't succeeding, the Times reported in a separate article today, citing interviews with military commanders and government officials.
The overall death rate among civilians hasn't fallen by much as execution-style killings declined while deaths from suicide bombings increased, the Times said. Attacks on U.S. forces in and around Baghdad have increased, it said.
A Multi Nation Division - North soldier yesterday died from his wounds sustained in fighting in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, the Military said in an e-mailed statement. In Salad ad Din, north of Baghdad, a soldier from the same division also died yesterday from wounds from fighting, a separate statement said.
Civilians Attacked
Another soldier from Baghdad Division died and three were wounded when they were hit by gunfire south of the Iraq capital yesterday, the Army said. Four soldiers were killed in Diyala on April 7, the Military said earlier.
Seventeen Iraqis were killed and 26 injured after a bomb exploded in Mahmudiyah yesterday, the Military said in a separate statement.
Since the U.S. invasion in March 2003, 3,259 military personnel have died, according to a Defense Department tally on April 5. Nearly 24,500 personnel have been wounded, with 45 percent of those injured so badly they haven't returned to duty, according to the Defense Department.
As many as 66,757 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the invasion, according to the latest tally on the Web site of Iraqbodycount.net, a research group based in the U.K.
To contact the reporters on this story: Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo at asheldrick@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: April 9, 2007 04:56 EDT
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aTwXQQf4eOHg&refer=home
By Aaron Sheldrick
April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Six American soldiers were killed in attacks in Iraq, the military said, as Shiites gathered to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad amid calls for more attacks on U.S. forces.
Three Multi-National Division - Center soldiers were killed yesterday south of Baghdad when a roadside bomb went off near the vehicle they were traveling in and three others died in attacks around the country, the U.S. military said in separate statements, e-mailed late from the Iraqi capital. The names of the deceased are being withheld until their next of kin are notified.
Thousands of Shiites headed for the city of Najaf today for an anti-American rally to mark the fall of Saddam Hussein, responding to a call from the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who urged Iraq's army to unite with his militias against the U.S. military, the New York Times reported today. The U.S. force build-up in Iraq has shown little sign of success, the Times reported in a separate article.
Sadr's call came after the U.S. used jets to attack Shiite militiamen in ad Diwaniyah, south-southwest of Baghdad, the Times said. At least seven Iraqis were killed, it said.
``The strife that is taking place in Diwaniya was planned by the occupier to drag down the brothers and make them quarrel, fight and even kill each other,'' Sadr was cited as saying in a written statement. ``Oh my brothers in the Mahdi Army and my brothers in the security forces, stop fighting and killing because that is what our enemy and your enemy and even God's enemy hope for.''
Baghdad Plan
Sadr and the Mahdi Army were keeping a lower profile after the Baghdad Security Plan went into effect in mid-February to try to stop sectarian conflict between Shias and Sunnis.
The central purpose of the plan, to create stability in Baghdad so Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds can work out arrangements for running the country, isn't succeeding, the Times reported in a separate article today, citing interviews with military commanders and government officials.
The overall death rate among civilians hasn't fallen by much as execution-style killings declined while deaths from suicide bombings increased, the Times said. Attacks on U.S. forces in and around Baghdad have increased, it said.
A Multi Nation Division - North soldier yesterday died from his wounds sustained in fighting in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, the Military said in an e-mailed statement. In Salad ad Din, north of Baghdad, a soldier from the same division also died yesterday from wounds from fighting, a separate statement said.
Civilians Attacked
Another soldier from Baghdad Division died and three were wounded when they were hit by gunfire south of the Iraq capital yesterday, the Army said. Four soldiers were killed in Diyala on April 7, the Military said earlier.
Seventeen Iraqis were killed and 26 injured after a bomb exploded in Mahmudiyah yesterday, the Military said in a separate statement.
Since the U.S. invasion in March 2003, 3,259 military personnel have died, according to a Defense Department tally on April 5. Nearly 24,500 personnel have been wounded, with 45 percent of those injured so badly they haven't returned to duty, according to the Defense Department.
As many as 66,757 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the invasion, according to the latest tally on the Web site of Iraqbodycount.net, a research group based in the U.K.
To contact the reporters on this story: Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo at asheldrick@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: April 9, 2007 04:56 EDT
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aTwXQQf4eOHg&refer=home
