3 US Soldiers, 20 Iraqis Killed, Including 3 Executed by Death Squads and four journalists, According to an October 15, 2007 Report

The Iraq News Agency, INA, reported

U.S. soldier killed by sniper fire in Tikrit

Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Tikrit, Oct 15, (VOI)-

One U.S. soldier was killed by sniper fire in central Tikrit on Monday afternoon, a police source said.

"A sniper managed to kill a U.S. soldier in central Tikrit on Monday afternoon," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) under condition of anonymity. "U.S. forces opened fire randomly after the attack, killing two civilians and injuring another one," he added. No word was immediately available from the U.S. army on the incident. Meanwhile, a police source said that more than 50 U.S. tanks, backed by choppers, have being engaged since morning in a joint operation with Iraqi army forces to hunt down wanted men in Beshkan and al-Mashrooa villages, east of Dalouiya. Dalouiya, Salah el-Din province, lied 90 km north of Baghdad. Tikrit, capital city of Salah el-Din, is 175 km north of Baghdad.

Car bomb kills two, injures eight in western Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Baghdad, Oct 15, (VOI)-

At least two civilians were killed and eight more were wounded on Monday night when a suicide bomber blew up a car crammed with explosives in al-Harethiya street in western Baghdad, a police source said.

"Two people were killed and eight others were injured, including women and children, in the blast," the source, who preferred not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Meanwhile, an eyewitness said that a suicide bomber detonated a car rigged with explosives in a crowded area in western Baghdad, leaving scores killed and injured. "The bomber was targeting visitors of al-Zawraa park, the biggest in Baghdad," he explained. "The park was crowded by Iraqi families who were celebrating the Eid al-Fitr," he also said, noting that police forces blocked the street after the explosion.

Three journalists killed in Kirkuk

Kirkuk - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Kirkuk, Oct 15, (VOI)-

Three journalists were killed in an armed attack in southwestern Kirkuk, a police source said on Monday.

"Unknown gunmen on Sunday night opened fire against two vehicles with a number of journalists onboard on the Kirkuk-Riyadh road near Houd 18 village in southwestern Kirkuk," the source, who preferred not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). "Three journalists, working for al-Watan newspaper, were killed and two of their companions were injured in the attack," he added. Police forces sealed off the area and opened investigation into the incident. "The dead men are: Jasem Mohammad Noufan, Khaled Mohammad Noufan and Ziyad Tareq," the source highlighted. "The bodies were sent to the forensic medicine department, while the wounded rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment," he said. Kirkuk is 250 km northeast of Baghdad.

Three unknown bodies found near Ramadi

Anbar - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Ramadi, Oct 15, (VOI)-

Police patrols on Monday found three unidentified bodies dumped along the main highway near Ramadi city, 110 km west of Baghdad, a police source said. "Three unidentified bodies were found dumped along the highway near Ramadi," the source, who requested anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The source added "the bodies bore marks of torture and gunshot wounds to the head." "The medical examination on the bodies indicated that the killing took place within the last 24 hours," he said. Ramadi, capital city of Anbar province, is 110 km west of Baghdad. SK

Kidnapped professor found dead in Basra

Basra - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Basra, Oct 15, (VOI)-

Police patrols on Monday morning found a university professor's body in northern Basra, a police source said.

"Police patrols this morning found the body of Amin Abdul Aziz Sarhan, who was kidnapped on Sunday near his house in 50 Housh region in northern Basra by unidentified gunmen," the source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) under condition of anonymity. "The dead man was a professor in the Baghdad University," he added. Basra is 590 km south of Baghdad.

Diwaniya casualties up as clashes renew

Diwaniya - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Diwaniya, Oct 15, (VOI)-

A medical source from the Diwaniya public hospital on Monday said that the hospital received five bodies and admitted 23 wounded in the clashes that flared up between a joint force of Iraqi and MNF personnel and gunmen, while a police source asserted that the clashes left more than 25 casualties.

"The clashes between the joint forces and gunmen renewed after a one-hour stop in al-Iskan neighborhood in central Diwaniya," the police source said. "The clashes, during which choppers took part, left more than 25 casualties," he also said. "Several local residents left their houses because of the clashes and the high number of casualties," he noted. A medical source had said earlier that Diwaniya main hospital received two bodies and admitted 21 wounded civilians as MNF and Iraqi forces clashed with gunmen in the city, while a police source put the casualties at five dead and 19 wounded.

"Gunmen attacked, this morning, the headquarters of the Multi-National and Iraqi forces in al-Iskan neighborhood, central Diwaniya," a police source told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The source added "fierce clashes erupted following the attack as the combined forces used all kinds of arms and sought the support of choppers." "The 30-minutes-long clashes left five civilians dead and 19 wounded," he said. A medical source from the Diwaniya public hospital told VOI that it "received two bodies and admitted 21 wounded civilians on Monday morning." Meanwhile, the local radio appealed to local residents to donate blood for the wounded. Diwaniya, a predominantly Shiite city, is 180 km south of Baghdad.

Washington Post correspondent killed in southern Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Baghdad, Oct 15, (VOI) –

An Iraqi correspondent for the U.S. newspaper The Washington Post was killed in an armed attack in the district of al-Sayediya, southern Baghdad, a media source said. "An armed group intercepted colleague Saleh Muhammad Saif al-Din and showered him with bullets while on duty in southern Baghdad," the source, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) on Sunday evening. The culprits then escaped to an unknown place, the source said, giving no further details. Saif al-Din's death raises to 231 the number of journalists killed while on duty since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In its Monday issue, the Post read that residents of the neighborhood and Iraqi military officers at the scene said Saif al-Din was killed while taking photographs on a street where several houses had been burned. His wounds appeared to indicate he was shot at close range. His body was later observed lying on the street, covered with newspapers.

2 U.S. soldiers killed, 3 wounded in Baghdad, Ninewa

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Baghdad, Oct 15, (VOI) –

Two U.S. soldiers were killed and three others wounded in two separate incidents in the capital Baghdad and the province of Ninewa, northern Iraq, the U.S. army said in a statement on Monday.

"A Multi-National Force–Baghdad (MND-B) was killed and three others wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near them during combat operations in southern Baghdad on Sunday," according to the U.S. army statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). In a separate statement the U.S. army said, "a U.S. soldier of the Task Force Lightning was killed in a non-combat incident in Ninewa on Sunday." The statement did not give further details. The two deaths raise to 3,829 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, including 21 during this month. Sixty-six U.S. soldiers were killed in September 2007, which is the lowest death toll for the U.S. forces in a month since August 2006, when 65 U.S. soldiers were killed. November 2004 is still the month with the highest U.S. fatalities in Iraq as 137 troops were killed in fierce clashes with armed groups in al-Fallujah, a city in the Sunni province of al-Anbar. February 2004 has seen the lowest number of U.S. deaths – 20.

Police officer, 4 relatives killed by car bomb in Anbar

Anbar - Voices of Iraq Monday , 15 /10 /2007 Time 8:02:57

Anbar, Oct 15, (VOI) –

An Iraqi police officer and four of his family members were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vehicle near his house in the district of al-Boghdadi, Anbar province, police said on Monday.

"Eight neighbors of the police major were also wounded in Sunday evening's attack that caused severe damage to five houses including the officer's," a security source, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The police imposed a curfew in the area that lies 15 km east of the district of Hit, the source added. Hit, one of the cities of the Sunni province of al-Anbar, is 180 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

***

AP Headline: Suspected Shi'i Militia Fighters Attack Military Bases in Southern Iraq; 5 Civilians Killed

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN Associated Press Writer

Oct 15, 2007, 2:44 PM EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) --

(Mahdi Army) militiamen fired mortars at two (NATO) military bases and shot at a Polish helicopter south of Baghdad during clashes Monday that killed as many as five Iraqi civilians, including two children, and wounded 20, officials said.

Two Polish soldiers suffered minor injuries in the clashes in Diwaniyah, a city 80 miles south of Baghdad, the Polish Defense Ministry said.

In Baghdad, a parked car bomb exploded near an amusement park in the evening, killing at least six people and wounding 25, as families were going home after relaxing on a Muslim holiday, police said. The casualties included women and youths.

The fighting in Diwaniyah began when fighters from the Mahdi Army militia fired four mortar rounds at the main U.S. and Polish base and nine rounds at a patrol base manned mainly by Iraqis and Polish troops, an Iraqi military official said.

U.S.-led forces fired back with six or seven artillery rounds, and both sides traded small-arms fire, the official said. A curfew has been imposed on four districts in the city known to be dominated by the Mahdi Army.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, said three Iraqi civilians were killed and 21 wounded in the crossfire.

A policeman, who also declined to be identified because of security concerns, said Mahdi Army fighters emerged from alleys after the mortar attack and swarmed the smaller base, which had been set up in a youth center, prompting clashes that lasted about 30 minutes. He also said U.S. attack helicopters had opened fire. The U.S. military said it was looking into the report.

The officer said five Iraqi civilians were killed and 27 wounded, while the Polish Defense Ministry put the casualty toll at four Iraqi civilians killed and 17 wounded. The conflicting casualty reports could not be reconciled.

Lt. Col. Wlodzimierz Glogowski, spokesman for the Polish force in Diwaniyah, said a Polish helicopter came under machine-gun fire and two Polish soldiers had been slightly wounded.

He said Polish and Iraqi troops at the patrol base had fired back at the militants, but the civilian casualties were from the mortar fire.

Diwaniyah has recently been the scene of frequent clashes between rival (Iraqi) factions competing for influence in the oil-rich southern region.

Al-Sadr's office blamed the Americans for the attacks, saying civilians were targeted by aircraft. It also demanded the Iraqi government step in and stop military operations in the area, according to a statement.

The car bomb near the amusement park exploded in the neighborhood of Harithiyah, considered one of the capital's safer districts, and the six dead and 25 wounded, police said.

The car was apparently left on a side street with several other cars - about 900 yards from the amusement park - to avoid a parking ban on Baghdad's main streets designed to prevent such bombings. Many of the businesses on the street were closed for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

About 15 minutes later, a roadside bomb struck a police vehicle in central Baghdad area of Karradah, wounding three policemen and a bystander, authorities said.

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Associated Press writers Yahya Barzanji in Kirkuk, Hamza Hendawi in Baghdad and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed to this report.

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