Daily War News Blog – 2006-05-18 23:53:46
DAILY WAR NEWS FOR MONDAY,
May 15, 2006
“There are some who, uh, feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is: Bring ’em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation. “
— George W. Bush, July 2, 2003.
Some day, Trisha Fish says, she will have to tell Chance, now 7, that his father committed suicide in Iraq. She says she finds herself rehearsing what she will say. “Your Daddy went to war and he saw a lot of things and they broke his heart. They broke his spirit. They changed who he was.” (Mark Mirko) Mar. 17, 2006 (See Below “‘Troop shortage’ behind sending mentally disabled back into combat”)
Bring ’em on:
“Insurgents” shot down a US helicopter south of Baghdad and killed two soldiers, bringing the weekend death toll of American service members to seven, the US military said Monday. (…)
US forces and American planes and helicopters attacked an insurgent haven in Youssifiyah, killing 25 insurgents, detaining four and destroying three safe houses and a vehicle loaded with weapons and ammunition, the US command said. One woman and two girls were wounded in the raid.
When U.S helicopters, including one carrying two of the wounded, were leaving the scene, insurgents shot down one of the aircraft, killing two American soldiers aboard, the US command said.
Bring ’em on: Two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died due to enemy action while operating in al Anbar Province May 14. (CENTCOM)
Bring ‘em on: Militants fired more than 30 mortar rounds at a British military camp in southern Iraq, wounding four soldiers. The mortar barrage came at about 4:30 a.m. Monday at Camp Abu Naji in Amarah, 290 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. One of the British soldiers was badly hurt, but the others’ injuries were not serious.
Bring ‘em [children] on: British soldiers in the Iraqi city of Amara were on Monday attacked by a stone- and bottle-throwing mob of local children as they visited a local police station, eyewitnesses reported.
OTHER SECURITY INCIDENTS
Baghdad:
In central Baghdad, a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol missed the officers but killed one civilian, wounded four and set fire to an oil tanker parked nearby.
One man died in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad.
Iraqi police said they found five bodies from one family near their home in the northern outskirts of the capital. All had been shot dead.
(S. of) Roadside bombs exploded in two cities north and south of Baghdad, killing one Iraqi civilian and a police officer, and wounding five Iraqis.
Yusifiyah:
US forces killed more than 25 insurgents, detained four others and destroyed three houses during coordinated ground and air attacks in Yusufiya, 15 km (9 miles) south of Baghdad, the US military said.
Karbala:
The body of a policeman who was abducted by gunmen two days ago, was found with gunshot wounds, bearing sings of torture, on the outskirts of Kerbala.
Balad Ruz:
A drive-by shooting killed four teachers en route to their school in a village near Balad Ruz, a town 80 kilometres northeast of Baghdad. The attackers and the victims were both riding in minibuses, the private vehicles that charge small fees to transport the general public.
Iskandariya:
A body was found on Sunday with gunshot wounds to the head in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad.
Mussayab:
A body with gunshot wounds to the head was found on Sunday in the town of Mussayab, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad.
Wajihiya:
A seven-year-old girl was killed and seven members of her family were wounded when a mortar round landed on their house in the small town of Wajihiya, about 30 km (20 miles) east of Baghdad.
Latifiya:
Abu Mustafa, wanted for his role in the downing of US helicopter in Yusifiyah on April 1, and 15 other suspected al Qaeda-linked militants were killed during a series of raids near Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, the US military said in a statement.
Mahaweel:
One civilian was killed and another wounded when a roadside bomb went off near the police headquarters in Mahaweel, 75 km (50 miles) south of Baghdad.
A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol exploded in the town of Mahaweel, 75 km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding three policemen.
Basra:
Tribesmen killed eight Iraqi police officers and injured another 10 in clashes just outside Basra. The clashes broke out when the tribesmen took over a police station just outside the city after a group of men wearing police uniforms allegedly gunned down a local leader from the Garmasha tribe, said police Cap. Mushtaq Khazim.
(near) A tribal leader, was killed by gunmen in a drive-by shooting about 15 km (9 miles) north of Basra.
Mosul:
One policeman was killed and two were wounded when a bomb exploded near a house in Mosul where gunmen earlier killed six members of the same family.
WHISKER’S ROUNDUP OF WOUNDED
Pvt. Christopher Fraser, of Windsor, Maine, of the 1136th Transportation Co. and attached to B Company, seriously injured in attack that killed two fellow soldiers.
Army reserve Capt. Shane Mahaffee, of Lake County, IL, seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, his wife said Monday. Mahafee, a 36 year old attorney, was recovering in Germany after undergoing surgery that removed part of his collarbone and sternum, his wife said.
Five Seabees suffered injuries in January when an improvised explosive device detonated on impact in the path of their armored Humvee during a routine convoy mission. Those awarded the Purple Heart were Construction Electrician 2nd Class Sean Sullivan of Lindenhurst, N.Y., Steel Worker 2nd Class Jody Allen of Marion, Ill., Steel Worker 3rd Class Christopher Moran of Bronx, N.Y., and Engineering Aide Constructionman Cody Cannon of Elko, Nev. Builder Constructionman Richard Fisher of Albany, N.Y. was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he received in February when an incoming mortar round penetrated the hardened building he sought shelter in at a military operating base near Fallujah.
Spc. Brandon L. Teeters, of Centerville, LA, of Bravo Company, 8/10 Cavalry Division, suffered burns on 85 percent of his body when an improvised explosives device detonated near him April 20 during a mission in Iraq.
Brian Knigge of Plankinton, SD is one of two who were wounded in an attack on their convoy in Baghdad that killed Staff Sergeant Greg Wagner from Mitchell, SD. The soldiers are with Charlie Battery of the 1st Battalion of the 147th Field Artillery based in Yankton. Other injured soldier has not been identified.
Sgt. First Class Marc Grandia of Otsego, MN, received an AK47 round in the unprotected part of his upper torso. The bullet entered the right front and exited under the shoulder blade inches from his spine.
US Army Sergeant Heath Newlan Berry of Monroe County, TN seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Lost an arm, legs crushed. Sergeant Berry is a member of the Army Reserve’s 489th Civil Affairs Battalion out of Knoxville.
Navy Seaman Cody Cannon of northern Nevada injured when his vehicle hit by a bomb and he was literally thrown out of the hatch.
Lance Corporal Richard Caseltine Aurora, IN barely escaped death when he was shot in the head by a sniper last month in Iraq. The bullet tore through his helmet, traced a path along the edge of his skull, and buried burning bullet fragments in his neck.
Army National Guard Sgt. Randal Divel of Middletown, MD, was hit by a roadside bomb Christmas Eve in Iraq. The explosion left him burned and full of shrapnel wounds. After five months of hospitalization, the open wounds on his legs have finally closed, but as a whole, he’s still fragile.
Second Lieutenant Stephen Rice, of Bunker Hill, IL, has leg amputated after 13 months trying to save it. While responding to a sister unit that had been hit by a roadside bomb, a second bomb exploded just a few feet away from Lt. Rice.
Scott Nimer of Weston, FL, to return home. He had been shot in the abdomen while clearing out houses near Balad. His father noted that Scott has described difficult conditions in Iraq, saying that there are 3-year-olds who sift through trash for food.
Chang Wong, a recently retired Army sergeant who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq a year ago, demonstrates his prostheses for VA workers at Ft. Sam Houston, as does Army Sgt. Steven Robison’s of Kansas City, who lost his left leg, and Spc. Brandon Burke, 28, an Army medic who lost a leg in a mortar attack last May. Burke is one of the first to try a new Power Knee, which uses a sensor attached to his other leg, and allows him to climb stairs.
Marine Joel Klobnak of Norwalk, Iowa, was getting ready to leave Iraq, when an explosive device detonated in his lap. His mom said that technically Joel died, but doctors brought him back. They had to amputate his left leg.
DAILY WAR NEWS FOR THURSDAY,
May 18, 2006
Photo: US soldiers from the 1st Armored Division kick down an Iraqi citizens’ door in the Al Jazeera Desert area May 8, 2006. REUTERS/SSgt. Aaron Allmon II/Handout (See below “How to Arouse an Intense Desire to Kill You”)
Bring ’em on: Four US soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed on Thursday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb northwest of Baghdad, the US military said in a statement. The statement issued by the 4th Infantry Division that patrols the Iraqi capital did not give further details.
Bring ’em on: A Sailor assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died due to enemy action while operating in Al Anbar Province May 17. (MNF- Iraq)
Bring ’em on: In Abu Skher, a village south of Najaf, an AFP correspondent saw what appeared to be a sports utility vehicle typical of the kind used by US contractors burning fiercely after it was hit by a roadside bomb. US soldiers were securing the area, but the military said it could not immediately confirm the incident or provide casualty figures.
In Manathera, a town south of Najaf, two roadside bombs exploded near a US military and civilian convoy, wounding some passengers. US soldiers then shot “by mistake” at an Iraqi policemen in the area, [Iraqi army Maj. Bshari] Ghazali said. “The soldiers thought he planted the bombs, so they shot at him and killed him immediately.”
In Country:
“Insurgents” kidnapped 15 Tae Kwon Do athletes who were traveling through western Iraq en route to a training camp in neighboring Jordan. They were members of a private sports club that hopes to one day send athletes to the Olympics, the Associated Press reported. Police and Olympic committee officials said the athletes were snatched on the road between the restive cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in western Iraq, one of the most violent parts of the war-torn country.
“We are negotiating with the kidnappers who are demanding $100,000 in ransom” said Jamal Abdel-Karim, an official with the Olympic committee, told the AP.
OTHER SECURITY INCIDENTS
Baghdad:
Gunmen stopped a minibus in southwestern Baghdad and killed all eight Iraqis aboard, a group of car mechanics and their driver.
A roadside bomb exploded near a police patrol in northern Baghdad’s Waziriya neighborhood, killing three police officers and five bystanders. Another nine people were wounded.
A mortar round struck an open market in Baghdad’s Dora neighborhood, killing four guards and wounding another.
Gunmen kidnapped a senior Iraqi Finance Ministry official in Baghdad. Muhib Abdul-Razzak, director-general of the ministry’s auditing department, was snatched from his home in northern Baghdad on Sunday.
Baqubah:
Bombers destroyed a small Sunni shrine near the city of Baqouba less than a week after similar bombings heavily damaged six Shiite shrines. No one was injured in any of the attacks.
Karbala:
Gunmen killed a math teacher and former senior Baath party member as he was leaving his house.
Najaf:
A policeman was killed and three wounded when a roadside bomb went off near a convoy of US military and Iraqi police vehicles near Najaf.
Jisr Diyala:
A journalist working for the independent Iraqi News Network has been killed in Jisr Diyala, south of the Iraqi capital.
Al Malih:
Iraqi police found the bodies of two people, handcuffed, blindfolded and shot dead, in al-Malih village, about 75 km south of Baghdad, police said.
Basra:
A police chief narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a roadside bomb hit his convoy as he was heading to work in Basra. The blast damaged one vehicle but caused no casualties.
Gunmen killed a former football player in Iraq’s national team.
Gunmen wounded a military intelligence lieutenant-colonel along with his driver.
Mosul:
Coalition forces killed three insurgents and wounded 10 in fighting in and around Mosul, the US command said.
Kirkuk:
In northern Kirkuk, police reported that two people had been killed in a drive-by shooting.
Police found the beheaded body of woman labor activist affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party one of two that administers the Kurdish regional government.
A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was killed by gunmen in central Kirkuk.
Fallujah:
A policeman and two “insurgents” were wounded in clashes in Falluja.
NEWS
Iraqis armed with bombs destroyed a Sunni Arab shrine near Baqouba on Thursday less than a week after similar bombings heavily damaged six Shiite shrines in the area.
The attack, like the previous ones, was carried out early in the morning, resulting in no casualties.
In Thursday’s strike, hidden bombs exploded inside the small Sharhabil bin Hassan shrine in Kanan, a town about 13 miles northeast of Baqouba, police said on condition of anonymity. The building was destroyed.
Last Saturday, six Shiite shrines were heavily damaged or destroyed by bombs hidden in or near them in the Baqouba area.
