3 US Soldiers, 8 Iraqi Policemen, 3 Iraqi Fighters Killed in War Attacks, According to an Initial January 4, 2008 Report

Killer of 2 U.S. soldiers belongs to armed group in the Iraqi army

Ninewa - Voices of Iraq Friday , 04 /01 /2008 Time 2:48:38

Ninewa, Jan 4, (VOI) –

The Iraqi soldier who killed two U.S. soldiers in Mosul 10 days ago was a member of an armed group who infiltrated into a joint Iraqi-U.S. force, the commander of the Iraqi army's 2nd Division said.

"The soldier was part of a joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol undertaking security duty in al-Haramat area, western Mosul, on December 26. When the patrol came under firing attack, the soldier opened fire at U.S. soldiers and killed two of them," Brig.

Mutaa Habib al-Khazraji told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). "The patrol soldiers managed to arrest him and he is now under the Iraqi side's investigative custody," Khazraji added.

The U.S. side denied that this Iraqi soldier opened fire at U.S. servicemen because they sexually harassed an Iraqi girl, affirming that the scene where the incident took place was void of any civilians. On December 28, 2007 the U.S. army had announced that two of its soldiers died of wounds sustained when they came under light arms' fire during military operations in Mosul.

3 U.S. soldiers killed, 1 wounded in operations in Diala, Baghdad

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Friday , 04 /01 /2008 Time 2:48:38

Baghdad, Jan 4, (VOI) –

Two U.S. soldiers were killed in military operations in the province of Diala while a third was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) south of Baghdad, the U.S. army in Iraq said.

"Two Multi-National Division – North Soldiers were killed in a small-arms fire attack while conducting operations in Diala province Jan. 3. Additionally, one more MND-N Soldier was injured in the attack and evacuated to a Coalition Forces’ hospital," according to a U.S. army statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The U.S. army had said in a statement on Thursday that a soldier of the MNF in central Iraq was killed when his foot patrol came under an IED attack on Wednesday in al-Zanbraniya area, al-Yousufiya district, south of Baghdad.
With these two incidents the U.S. army lost three soldiers during the past three days of 2008.

The deaths bring the number of the U.S. troops killed in Iraq since March 2003 invasion to 3,907, according to statistics released by the U.S. army.

Of this number, 23 have been killed in December 2007, thus becoming the month with the second lowest number of U.S. fatalities after February 2004 during which 20 soldiers were killed.

Despite (claims about) a decrease in the number of U.S. loss of life in Iraq during the past six months, the total U.S. fatalities in 2007 amounted to 900, compared to 822 in 2006.

November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, remains the month that saw the highest U.S. death toll with 137.

April 2004 comes second with 135, followed by May 2007 during which 126 U.S. soldiers were killed.

Mosul attack leaves 7 police casualty

Ninewa - Voices of Iraq Friday , 04 /01 /2008 Time 2:48:38

Ninewa, Jan3, (VOI)-

Three policemen were killed and four others wounded in an attack launched by gunmen against their patrol in Mosul, northern Iraq, Ninewa police said on Thursday. “Gunmen staged an attacked with RPG launchers against police patrol at Eden neighbourhood, eastern Mosul, leaving three patrol policemen dead, including a lieutenant, and four wounded," a Ninewa police source, who requested anonymity, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The source added “the attack occurred while police patrols were deployed in the neighbourhood under a security plan”. The source did not provide further details about the incident, yet he pointed out “corpses were sent to the morgue while the injured were rushed to the hospital”. Mosul, the centre of the mixed population Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad . AM

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Vehicle Ban Ordered in Iraqi City of Baqouba Following Series of Bomb Attacks

By PATRICK QUINN Associated Press Writer

Jan 4, 2008, 8:06 AM EST

BAGHDAD (AP) --

Iraqi authorities ordered a one-day vehicle ban in Ba'aqouba on Friday in response to a series of deadly suicide bombings and other attacks against (US-recruited) predominantly Sunni fighters.

The U.S. military also stepped up operations against Iraqi fighers' cells and networks in Diyala province, of which Ba'aqouba is the capital.

The U.S. military announced it had killed a local leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Muhammad Khalil Ibrahim, during a Dec. 28 airstrike in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, in an area known as the "Triangle of Death" just south of Baghdad.

Ba'aqouba police chief Brig. Hasan al Obaidi said the ban was imposed because of the "increased violent events during last week." The ban in the city about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad also aimed to protect worshippers going to mosques for Friday prayers. It was to last until late afternoon.

A series of suicide attacks have targeted members of the (US-recruited) Sunni tribal movement, including one attack in downtown Ba'aqouba on Wednesday that police said killed seven people; the U.S. military said four people died.

The U.S. military said Friday it had killed two (Iraqi fighters) and detained 12 in that area. But the operations also resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers the wounding of another in a small arms attack on Thursday in Diyala, the military said.

One of those captured included an alleged leader of Ansar al-Sunna, the military said. The statement did not identify him by name, but said he had escaped from a hospital, killing five policemen, after being injured in a previous Iraqi operation.

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Associated Press reporter Hamid Ahmed contributed to this report.

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