[NYTr] 7 US Troops Killed Friday in 2 Iraq Attacks

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

AP - Sep 7, 2007
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=TNJAC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

7 U.S. Troops Killed in 2 Iraq Attacks

By BUSHRA JUHI
Associated Press Writer

 BAGHDAD (AP) -- Four U.S. Marines were killed in fighting in Anbar
province, and three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in northern
Iraq, the military said Friday.

Britain's Defense Ministry announced Friday the death of British
soldier killed two days earlier. It gave no details on where or how the
soldier died.

The four Marines assigned to Multi National Force - West were killed
Thursday in combat in Anbar, a predominantly Sunni province west of
Baghdad that has seen a recent drop in violence, according to a
statement.

Three Task Force Lightning soldiers also were killed Thursday when a
bomb exploded near their vehicle in the northern Ninevah province, the
military said separately.

The deaths raised to at least 3,760 members of the U.S. military who
have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an
Associated Press count.

The British soldier killed was a member of the Parachute Regiment, the
Ministry of Defense said. News of the death had been kept secret for
more than two days for security reasons, the ministry said.

A total of 169 British armed forces personnel or civilian employees of
the military have died in Iraq during the war, according to the
ministry.

About 100 miles west of Anbar's capital city of Ramadi, insurgents blew
up two suspension bridges on roads leading to Jordan and Saudi Arabia,
a police intelligence officer said on condition of anonymity for
security reasons.

A roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol near Baqouba, killing one
soldier and wounding two, while another roadside bomb killed one
civilian and wounded four others southeast of Baghdad, police officials
said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to release the information.

Gunmen also opened fire on Sunni worshippers in a drive-by shooting
following evening prayers late Thursday in the northern city of Kirkuk,
killing at least three people and wounding four, police Col. Anwar
Qadir said.

In operations Thursday and Friday, U.S. forces killed three al-Qaida in
Iraq suspects and detained 18 others, the military said.

The three men were killed in an operation Friday morning targeting a
suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader north of Baghdad. Four other suspects
were detained in that raid and ground forces destroyed four vehicles,
the U.S. military said in a statement.

Anbar, where the Marines were killed, is a vast desert province that
stretches west from Baghdad to the borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi
Arabia. It has been a Sunni insurgent stronghold but attacks against
U.S. forces and Iraqis have tapered off since many Sunni tribal leaders
joined forces with the United States against al-Qaida in Iraq.

The Iraqi government announced Thursday it was adding millions of
dollars to the budget of the western province of Anbar to help rebuild
the region.

The step came days after a surprise visit to the province by President
Bush to Anbar where he met top Iraqi officials as well as tribal
leaders.

During a conference held Thursday in the provincial capital of Ramadi,
70 miles west of Baghdad, the government allocated additional $70
million to the Anbar budget, Interior Ministry official Col. Tariq
Mohammed Youssef said. He added that 6,000 jobs will be created for
Anbar residents, although he did not give more specifics.

Another $50 million was allocated to compensate citizens who suffered
from military operations.

Among those at the conference was Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to
Iraq, and Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

Top tribal leaders from Anbar were also present, including Abdul-Sattar
al-Rishawi, head of the Anbar Salvation Council that spearheaded the
fight against al-Qaida.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have touted Anbar as a success story in Iraq
even as criticism mounts over the Iraqi government's efforts to achieve
political reconciliation on other fronts.

A series of recent reports have offered a grim assessment of Iraq's
political climate and the performance of its security forces as the
U.S. ambassador and the top commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus
prepare for congressional hearings beginning Monday.

An independent panel led by retired Marine Gen. James Jones recommended
that the Iraqis assume more control of their nation's security and that
U.S. forces, seen as an occupying and permanent force, should step
back. Its report, presented to Congress on Thursday, contended that
"significant reductions, consolidations and realignments would appear
to be possible and prudent."

The Jones panel also found that Iraq's security forces would be unable
to take control in the next 12 months to 18 months and recommended that
its national police force be scrapped and entirely rebuilt because of
corruption and sectarianism.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of
Congress, reported Tuesday that Iraq has failed to meet 11 of its 18
political and security goals.

U.S. troop levels - currently at a record 168,000 - are expected to hit
a high of 172,000 in the coming weeks, the Pentagon said Thursday.

[Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.]

© 2007 The Associated Press.