Friday, June 27, 2003
Attacks Spur Allied Task in Iraq, U.S. Spokesman Says (Update3)
June 27 (Bloomberg) -- Attacks on U.S. and British soldiers in Iraq will spur coalition forces to complete their mission of ending resistance by loyalists to ousted leader Saddam Hussein and helping to rebuild the country, a White House spokesman said.
The mission isn't complete and President George W. Bush is ``determined to finish it,'' Ari Fleischer said yesterday in Washington. ``And that means finishing the job to help rout out those who, left to their own devices, will continue the killing of others as well as Americans.''
Allied troops have come under attack this week. The U.S. military command said a special operations soldier was killed yesterday and eight others wounded by hostile fire in southwestern Baghdad. Another died and nine were wounded in an attack in the town of Kufah, south of Baghdad, late yesterday when a U.S. patrol came under fire, Agence France-Presse cited the army as saying.
Two U.S. soldiers are missing after they went on patrol north of Baghdad two days ago, the U.S. military command said. Three Iraqis were detained for questioning about their disappearance, the Associated Press reported, citing the military.
U.S. officials believe the men's Humvee light armored vehicle may have been stolen for use in attacks on soldiers, AFP reported, citing U.S. Major Robert Twinner.
``They believe Fedayeen were using it, trying to get close to Americans with the vehicle to probably conduct another terrorist attack against them,'' Twinner told AFP. He said there was no news of the soldiers, AFP said.
U.K. Troops
Six British soldiers were killed earlier this week in an incident in a village near the southern city of Basra.
More than 20 allied soldiers have died in attacks since Bush declared the main fighting in Iraq over May 1. Parts of northern and central Iraq still aren't secured, General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this week. The allies have carried out two operations this month aimed at finding members of Hussein's ousted Baath party and his militias.
Other incidents include an ambush on a convoy in west Baghdad yesterday that killed two Iraqi power workers, the AP said, citing U.S. military officials.
The increase in hostile actions is probably a response to raids aimed at finding Hussein loyalists, AP cited Major William Thurmond, a U.S. military spokesman, as saying yesterday.
``There have been more attacks recently, but it's probably premature to say this is part of a pattern,'' Thurmond told AP. ``We've kicked open the nests of some of these bad guys.''
The U.S. operation to round up loyalists has concentrated on an area north of the capital in the direction of Tikrit, Hussein's hometown, 145 kilometers from Baghdad.
Baath party supporters are being joined by paramilitary fighters, Myers said this week. How organized the groups are is ``yet to be determined,'' he said.
Last Updated: June 27, 2003 04:44 EDT
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June 27 (Bloomberg) -- Attacks on U.S. and British soldiers in Iraq will spur coalition forces to complete their mission of ending resistance by loyalists to ousted leader Saddam Hussein and helping to rebuild the country, a White House spokesman said.
The mission isn't complete and President George W. Bush is ``determined to finish it,'' Ari Fleischer said yesterday in Washington. ``And that means finishing the job to help rout out those who, left to their own devices, will continue the killing of others as well as Americans.''
Allied troops have come under attack this week. The U.S. military command said a special operations soldier was killed yesterday and eight others wounded by hostile fire in southwestern Baghdad. Another died and nine were wounded in an attack in the town of Kufah, south of Baghdad, late yesterday when a U.S. patrol came under fire, Agence France-Presse cited the army as saying.
Two U.S. soldiers are missing after they went on patrol north of Baghdad two days ago, the U.S. military command said. Three Iraqis were detained for questioning about their disappearance, the Associated Press reported, citing the military.
U.S. officials believe the men's Humvee light armored vehicle may have been stolen for use in attacks on soldiers, AFP reported, citing U.S. Major Robert Twinner.
``They believe Fedayeen were using it, trying to get close to Americans with the vehicle to probably conduct another terrorist attack against them,'' Twinner told AFP. He said there was no news of the soldiers, AFP said.
U.K. Troops
Six British soldiers were killed earlier this week in an incident in a village near the southern city of Basra.
More than 20 allied soldiers have died in attacks since Bush declared the main fighting in Iraq over May 1. Parts of northern and central Iraq still aren't secured, General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this week. The allies have carried out two operations this month aimed at finding members of Hussein's ousted Baath party and his militias.
Other incidents include an ambush on a convoy in west Baghdad yesterday that killed two Iraqi power workers, the AP said, citing U.S. military officials.
The increase in hostile actions is probably a response to raids aimed at finding Hussein loyalists, AP cited Major William Thurmond, a U.S. military spokesman, as saying yesterday.
``There have been more attacks recently, but it's probably premature to say this is part of a pattern,'' Thurmond told AP. ``We've kicked open the nests of some of these bad guys.''
The U.S. operation to round up loyalists has concentrated on an area north of the capital in the direction of Tikrit, Hussein's hometown, 145 kilometers from Baghdad.
Baath party supporters are being joined by paramilitary fighters, Myers said this week. How organized the groups are is ``yet to be determined,'' he said.
Last Updated: June 27, 2003 04:44 EDT
