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thedrifter
02-20-07, 07:28 AM
Brazen Pre-Dawn Attack on U.S. Outpost in Iraq Kills 3, Injures 17

By Ernesto Londoņo and Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, February 20, 2007; A08

BAGHDAD, Feb. 19 -- A U.S. military facility north of Baghdad was targeted Monday by suicide bombers and other armed men who killed three American soldiers and wounded 17 in an unusually brazen attack.

The facility, a former Iraqi police station in the town of Tarmiyah, came under attack shortly before dawn, according to a witness and the spokesman for the local joint coordination center, Capt. Muhammad Awad.

Two suicide car bombers tore through the main gate and detonated their explosives, destroying part of the building, which the U.S. military took over after Iraqi policemen abandoned it last summer because they were threatened by Sunni extremists who control that area.

A gun battle between U.S. troops and armed men raged for about 20 minutes after the initial explosions, as helicopters from the large U.S. military base nearby in Taji rushed to the scene.

Minutes after wounded soldiers were airlifted from the facility, an improvised explosive device blew up about 500 yards away, apparently targeting a U.S. convoy that included a fuel tanker.

[The Reuters news agency reported that a truck exploded near a restaurant in Taji on Tuesday, killing five people and wounding 75, according to police. Authorities said the blast might have been a bomb attack, but they were investigating whether it could have been an accident.]

U.S. military facilities in Iraq are frequently targeted from a distance with rockets, mortar rounds and sniper fire. But Monday's coordinated frontal attack -- which occurred as hundreds of American soldiers are being deployed to small, similarly vulnerable inner-city posts -- appeared to be a shift toward more aggressive tactics.

The U.S. military released a brief statement, disclosing only the number of casualties. The statement noted one suicide car bombing. Three U.S. military spokesmen said they had no additional information.

"This was not a spontaneous attack," said Maj. Steven Lamb, a military spokesman. "The matter is under investigation. It would be premature to release anything else."

He said he could not confirm the account provided by Iraqis.

Tarmiyah, with about 150,000 residents, lies on one of the crucial routes to Baghdad, and U.S. forces and Sunni insurgents affiliated with the group al-Qaeda in Iraq have fought vigorously for control of the area. Insurgents had strengthened their grip on the town in recent months after the U.S. military moved a significant number of troops from the area to Baghdad. An Iraqi police unit trained in Jordan deserted last year after being threatened by insurgents.

"This is what happens when you clear and begin to hold, but leave before you finish the hold-and-build process," a U.S. Army officer stationed nearby said Monday night, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We created a vacuum, and al-Qaeda filled it. We lost the people's trust."

The attack came less than a week after U.S. and Iraqi forces launched an ambitious security plan that has made the capital the war's focal point, raising the risk for troops stationed in outlying areas.

Sunni extremists have dramatically altered the fabric of the region in recent months, said a 35-year-old shop owner who lives across the street from the military outpost in Tarmiyah.

"You can no longer find someone selling cigarettes, and you won't find men selling women's underwear," he said, offering an example of strict Islamic codes enforced in the area. Women now cover everything but their eyes and "barbers can't offer modern haircuts," added the man, who confirmed the version of the attack provided by Iraqi officials.

Sunni insurgent attacks on U.S. forces have become increasingly sophisticated and effective in recent months.

"It is hard to judge what is happening in Tarmiyah," said retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who led a division north of the city in 2004 and 2005. "But for sure we should never underestimate our enemy."

The U.S. military on Monday reported the deaths of seven other service members killed in recent days, including three soldiers who died Monday when a roadside bomb exploded while they were on patrol southwest of Baghdad. Also, three Marines and a soldier were killed in the western province of Anbar in fighting since Saturday, the military said.

On Monday, a Baghdad woman said she was sexually assaulted by an Iraqi Interior Ministry official after she was detained over the weekend.

Iraqi officials initially condemned the reported rape and vowed to hold the perpetrator responsible. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office, which issued a statement naming the woman, also promised to investigate. It is unclear why Maliki's office named her. The Washington Post does not identify reported victims of sexual crimes.

The woman is a Sunni, and the ministry is controlled by Shiites. Reports of rape are unusual in Iraq. The woman offered an emotional, detailed account in television interviews.

Hours after announcing the investigation, Maliki's office released another statement saying the woman's claims were determined to be unfounded. A spokesman said the report had been fabricated by Arab news stations to undermine the Baghdad security plan.

Ricks reported from Washington. Staff researcher Madonna Lebling in Washington and correspondent Joshua Partlow and special correspondents Naseer Nouri and Waleed Saffar in Iraq contributed to this report.

Ellie