Sgt Sostand
06-26-03, 10:28 AM
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. military vehicle was ambushed Thursday on the western outskirts of Baghdad, and at least one American soldier was killed, soldiers at the scene said Thursday.
The morning attack on the road leading to Baghdad International Airport apparently involved an explosive device operated by remote control, said the U.S. soldiers, who asked not to be named.
The soldier who died suffered a major wound in the face, the soldiers said. Military commanders released no other details.
It was the latest in a spiraling series of attacks against U.S.-led occupation forces in Iraq. At least 19 U.S. soldiers have died in hostile fire since major combat was officially declared over in May.
On Tuesday, six British soldiers were killed in southern Iraq during a shooting rampage by townspeople furious over the killing of four neighbors during a demonstration, apparently at the hands of British troops.
That attack, in the town of Majar al-Kabir, 180 miles southeast of Baghdad, had shattered the peace that had reigned in Shiite-dominated southern Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein - and spurred British authorities to consider requiring troops to wear body armor and helmets.
"My absolute priority is the safety and security of British forces. Already, an urgent review is under way to ensure their safety," Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon told British Broadcasting Corp. radio Wednesday.
Hoon said Britain had "significant forces available should it be necessary. Many thousands, certainly."
Recent attacks on U.S. forces near Baghdad have been blamed on remnants of Saddam's regime or his Sunni followers, but this latest violence came in the mostly Shiite south, where resentment toward Saddam Hussein's government had been strong.
The Shiite gunmen were enraged by the death of their neighbors - allegedly at the hands of British troops during a demonstration earlier in the day - and over weapons searches in homes with women.
On Tuesday, about 100 residents protested the British weapons sweeps in a four-hour demonstration outside the mayor's office, where a dozen British troops were posted, witnesses said. Protesters threw rocks, and British troops fired back with rubber bullets before switching to live ammunition, the witnesses said.
Local police said four Iraqis were killed, and that armed residents then killed two British military policemen. Then, witnesses said, some Iraqis went to their homes to get weapons. At least 20 armed Iraqis stormed the police station, where four British military police were located along with Iraqi policemen.
One British soldier was shot and killed at the station's doorway; the three others were slain after Iraqis stormed the station and cornered them in a single room, said Salam Mohammed, a member of a municipal security force.
British military spokesman in Iraq, Lieutenant-Colonel Ronnie McCourt, said the attack was unprovoked, adding: "It was murder."
"The enemies of peace have claimed that the United Kingdom forces are conducting violent searches of Arab homes and have not respected property. This is simply not true," McCourt said.
In the al-Zahrai Hospital in nearby Amarah, Dr. Mohammed al-Sudani said 10 Iraqi civilians were treated for gunshot wounds, including four children and a woman who was shot in the head.
On Wednesday, there were no British forces to be seen in or around Majar al-Kabir. But U.K. military officials said they were hunting down the gunmen.
"The whole situation is being investigated. We are actively seeking them," said Capt. Gemma Hardy, a British military spokeswoman.
British forces occupying southern Iraq agreed June 23 to stay out of Majar al-Kabir for 60 days and allow local security forces to seize heavy weapons, said Fadhel Radi, a municipal judge and an adviser to the mayor.
Radi said the British violated the agreement by coming into the city, sparking the initial demonstration. He produced a handwritten agreement in English and Arabic, supposedly signed by a British officer.
However, Hardy said she had no information about any such agreement and said it was "highly unlikely" it was valid. British officials said the military police were helping to train local police.
Southern Iraq had been so quiet recently that British troops frequently patrolled without helmets or flak jackets.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair told lawmakers that the region around Amarah was tense because British soldiers had tried to disarm Iraqis who routinely carried weapons, including machine guns.
"There have been problems in relation to that and that may form part of the background to it," he said.
British forces in Iraq have been reduced from 45,000 during the war to 15,500 now, two-thirds of them ground forces. The United States has brought home some 130,000 troops from the region; 146,000 American forces remain in Iraq
The morning attack on the road leading to Baghdad International Airport apparently involved an explosive device operated by remote control, said the U.S. soldiers, who asked not to be named.
The soldier who died suffered a major wound in the face, the soldiers said. Military commanders released no other details.
It was the latest in a spiraling series of attacks against U.S.-led occupation forces in Iraq. At least 19 U.S. soldiers have died in hostile fire since major combat was officially declared over in May.
On Tuesday, six British soldiers were killed in southern Iraq during a shooting rampage by townspeople furious over the killing of four neighbors during a demonstration, apparently at the hands of British troops.
That attack, in the town of Majar al-Kabir, 180 miles southeast of Baghdad, had shattered the peace that had reigned in Shiite-dominated southern Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein - and spurred British authorities to consider requiring troops to wear body armor and helmets.
"My absolute priority is the safety and security of British forces. Already, an urgent review is under way to ensure their safety," Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon told British Broadcasting Corp. radio Wednesday.
Hoon said Britain had "significant forces available should it be necessary. Many thousands, certainly."
Recent attacks on U.S. forces near Baghdad have been blamed on remnants of Saddam's regime or his Sunni followers, but this latest violence came in the mostly Shiite south, where resentment toward Saddam Hussein's government had been strong.
The Shiite gunmen were enraged by the death of their neighbors - allegedly at the hands of British troops during a demonstration earlier in the day - and over weapons searches in homes with women.
On Tuesday, about 100 residents protested the British weapons sweeps in a four-hour demonstration outside the mayor's office, where a dozen British troops were posted, witnesses said. Protesters threw rocks, and British troops fired back with rubber bullets before switching to live ammunition, the witnesses said.
Local police said four Iraqis were killed, and that armed residents then killed two British military policemen. Then, witnesses said, some Iraqis went to their homes to get weapons. At least 20 armed Iraqis stormed the police station, where four British military police were located along with Iraqi policemen.
One British soldier was shot and killed at the station's doorway; the three others were slain after Iraqis stormed the station and cornered them in a single room, said Salam Mohammed, a member of a municipal security force.
British military spokesman in Iraq, Lieutenant-Colonel Ronnie McCourt, said the attack was unprovoked, adding: "It was murder."
"The enemies of peace have claimed that the United Kingdom forces are conducting violent searches of Arab homes and have not respected property. This is simply not true," McCourt said.
In the al-Zahrai Hospital in nearby Amarah, Dr. Mohammed al-Sudani said 10 Iraqi civilians were treated for gunshot wounds, including four children and a woman who was shot in the head.
On Wednesday, there were no British forces to be seen in or around Majar al-Kabir. But U.K. military officials said they were hunting down the gunmen.
"The whole situation is being investigated. We are actively seeking them," said Capt. Gemma Hardy, a British military spokeswoman.
British forces occupying southern Iraq agreed June 23 to stay out of Majar al-Kabir for 60 days and allow local security forces to seize heavy weapons, said Fadhel Radi, a municipal judge and an adviser to the mayor.
Radi said the British violated the agreement by coming into the city, sparking the initial demonstration. He produced a handwritten agreement in English and Arabic, supposedly signed by a British officer.
However, Hardy said she had no information about any such agreement and said it was "highly unlikely" it was valid. British officials said the military police were helping to train local police.
Southern Iraq had been so quiet recently that British troops frequently patrolled without helmets or flak jackets.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair told lawmakers that the region around Amarah was tense because British soldiers had tried to disarm Iraqis who routinely carried weapons, including machine guns.
"There have been problems in relation to that and that may form part of the background to it," he said.
British forces in Iraq have been reduced from 45,000 during the war to 15,500 now, two-thirds of them ground forces. The United States has brought home some 130,000 troops from the region; 146,000 American forces remain in Iraq