Zgeheu
18-09-03, 17:26
At least three American soldiers have been killed in an attack on a convoy in the town of Khaldiyah, west of Baghdad, according to witnesses.
A truck transporting troops was blown up by an explosive device on a road in the town, and soldiers were fired on as they tried to evacuate casualties, Iraqi sources said.
The US military said two soldiers were wounded when their convoy was attacked east of the town of Ramadi, but they have not commented on the reported attack in Khaldiyah.
Pictures from Khaldiyah showed a military vehicle burning fiercely as an American helicopter circled overhead.
Khaldiyah is part the so-called "Sunni Triangle" where support for ousted dictator Saddam Hussein is strongest and has been the scene of frequent clashes involving US troops.
Earlier, US soldiers in Iraq shot dead a 14-year-old boy and wounded several others after mistaking celebratory gunfire for an enemy attack, witnesses said.
'Sophisticated attack'
According to witnesses, the transport truck blew up after it drove over a landmine or bomb.
French news agency AFP quoted witnesses as saying several soldiers in the vehicle were burnt.
As soldiers tried to evacuate the wounded, they were reportedly attacked with grenades.
"A bomb exploded underneath a troop transport. It caught fire. The remainder of the convoy tried to continue and was hit by rocket-propelled grenades 500 metres [1600 ft] away," Khaldiyah resident Mahmud Ali told the agency.
US forces sealed off the road and called in reinforcements, another witness said.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, who is in Baghdad, says it was quite a significant attack and more sophisticated than previous assaults because it involved a secondary attack on the Americans.
'Boy killed'
In Falluja, US troops reportedly opened fire as guests at a wedding party shot their guns into the air, killing a 14-year-old boy.
Witnesses said soldiers, believing they were under attack, formed a circle and began shooting.
At least four people were injured, witnesses said.
The reported incident fuelled tensions in the town, where opposition to America's presence in Iraq is strong.
It comes days after the US apologised for accidentally shooting dead eight Iraqis and a Jordanian in Falluja, a stronghold of supporters of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
bron: bbc 18-09-03
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:wohaa: :boogie:
A truck transporting troops was blown up by an explosive device on a road in the town, and soldiers were fired on as they tried to evacuate casualties, Iraqi sources said.
The US military said two soldiers were wounded when their convoy was attacked east of the town of Ramadi, but they have not commented on the reported attack in Khaldiyah.
Pictures from Khaldiyah showed a military vehicle burning fiercely as an American helicopter circled overhead.
Khaldiyah is part the so-called "Sunni Triangle" where support for ousted dictator Saddam Hussein is strongest and has been the scene of frequent clashes involving US troops.
Earlier, US soldiers in Iraq shot dead a 14-year-old boy and wounded several others after mistaking celebratory gunfire for an enemy attack, witnesses said.
'Sophisticated attack'
According to witnesses, the transport truck blew up after it drove over a landmine or bomb.
French news agency AFP quoted witnesses as saying several soldiers in the vehicle were burnt.
As soldiers tried to evacuate the wounded, they were reportedly attacked with grenades.
"A bomb exploded underneath a troop transport. It caught fire. The remainder of the convoy tried to continue and was hit by rocket-propelled grenades 500 metres [1600 ft] away," Khaldiyah resident Mahmud Ali told the agency.
US forces sealed off the road and called in reinforcements, another witness said.
The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, who is in Baghdad, says it was quite a significant attack and more sophisticated than previous assaults because it involved a secondary attack on the Americans.
'Boy killed'
In Falluja, US troops reportedly opened fire as guests at a wedding party shot their guns into the air, killing a 14-year-old boy.
Witnesses said soldiers, believing they were under attack, formed a circle and began shooting.
At least four people were injured, witnesses said.
The reported incident fuelled tensions in the town, where opposition to America's presence in Iraq is strong.
It comes days after the US apologised for accidentally shooting dead eight Iraqis and a Jordanian in Falluja, a stronghold of supporters of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
bron: bbc 18-09-03
-------------------------------------------------------
:wohaa: :boogie: