www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

   

4 US Marines killed; Iraq official held

(AP)
Updated: 2007-02-08 19:35

AGHDAD, Iraq - Four US Marines were killed in fighting in Anbar province, the military said Thursday. The Marines, who were assigned to Multi-National Force - West, died Wednesday from wounds sustained due to enemy action in two separate incidents in the insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, according to a statement.

An Iraqi army soldier oversees traffic at a vehicle checkpoint in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007. U.S. officials confirmed the new security operation which will involve about 90,000 Iraqi and American troops and is seen by many as a last chance to curb Iraq's sectarian war was under way after a delayed start. (AP
An Iraqi army soldier oversees traffic at a vehicle checkpoint in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007. US officials confirmed the new security operation which will involve about 90,000 Iraqi and American troops and is seen by many as a last chance to curb Iraq's sectarian war was under way after a delayed start. [AP]
The deaths raised to at least 3,114 members of the US military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Iraqi forces on Thursday detained a senior Health Ministry official accused of corruption and helping to funnel millions of dollars to Shi'ite militiamen blamed for much of the recent sectarian violence in the capital, the US military said.

The raid was the latest action in a crackdown on radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, coming a day after the chief US military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said a security sweep to stop the rampant attacks in the capital was under way.

Violence also was unrelenting Thursday, with car bombs striking Shi'ite targets in Baghdad and south of the capital. At least 43 people were killed or found dead in Iraq.

The US Embassy in Baghdad, meanwhile, said US officials were investigating a Jan. 31 incident involving a civilian helicopter after The New York times reported that insurgents had brought the chopper down with ground fire during a flight between Hillah and Baghdad.

If confirmed, it would be the sixth helicopter to crash in Iraq since Jan. 20, prompting the US military to review flight operations. The most recent crash occurred Wednesday when a CH-46 Sea Knight went down northwest of Baghdad, killing seven people.

The military statement did not name the official, but a ministry spokesman said earlier that US and Iraqi forces had seized deputy Health Minister Hakim al-Zamili, an al-Sadr supporter, from his first-floor office in northern Baghdad.

The detainee was implicated in the deaths of several ministry officials, including the director-general in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, the military said.

He reportedly orchestrated several kickback schemes related to inflated contracts for equipment and services, with millions of dollars allegedly funneled to the Mahdi Army militia that is loyal to al-Sadr, according to the statement.

The official also was suspected of providing large-scale employment of militia members who used Health Ministry facilities and services for "sectarian kidnapping and murder," the military said.

Joint US-Iraqi forces stormed the Health Ministry compound early Thursday, causing all the employees to flee, spokesman Qassim Yahya said.

One of al-Zamili's bodyguards said he heard gunshots, then the Americans asked him to step aside and approached the deputy health minister, who introduced himself by name and title. A US soldier told al-Zamili he was on a list of wanted names and handcuffed him before leading him away, the bodyguard said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

In the deadliest attack Thursday, a parked car bomb exploded about 10:30 a.m. at a meat market in the predominantly Shi'ite town of Aziziyah, 56 miles south of Baghdad, killing 20 people and wounding 45, police said.

Another parked car bomb tore through a minibus nearly an hour earlier in the mainly Shi'ite Amin neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad, killing seven passengers and wounding 10, police said.

The blast blew out the windows of at least one car parked in a nearby driveway and left piles of rubble and ashes that were being cleared away by street sweepers as the burned out frame of the bus stood nearby.

Baghdad's streets have been electric with tension as US officials confirmed the new security operation was under way. US armor rushed through streets and Iraqi armored personnel carriers guarded bridges and major intersections.

New coils of barbed-wire and blast barriers marked checkpoints that caused traffic bottlenecks. US Apache helicopters were in the air over parts of the city where they hadn't been seen before. Gunfire still rang out across the city and some residents said they doubted life would get better.

"Nothing will work; it's too late," said Hashem al-Moussawi, a resident of the Sadr City Shi'ite enclave who was badly wounded in a bombing in December.

Underlining the dangers ahead, a Sea Knight helicopter crashed Wednesday northwest of Baghdad, killing all seven people on board, the US military said.

A military statement did not give a cause for the crash, but a senior US defense official in Washington said the CH-46 helicopter did not appear to have been hit by hostile fire. An Iraqi air force officer said, however, the helicopter was shot down with a missile. An al-Qaida-linked Sunni group said in a Web statement it was responsible.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that insurgents attacked another helicopter with ground fire in a previously undisclosed incident on Jan. 31, forcing it to land on a flight between Hillah and Baghdad in support of State Department operations.

Another American helicopter rescued passengers and crew but a US military quick reaction force suffered several casualties while responding to the scene, the newspaper said, citing unnamed American officials. The US military had no immediate comment.

The five confirmed helicopter downings include a chopper operated by the private security group Blackwater USA, which provides guards for State Department employees.

Caldwell said Wednesday that the much-awaited Baghdad security operation was finally under way but would be implemented gradually. It is the third attempt by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his US backers to pacify Baghdad since the Shi'ite leader came to office in May. The operation, which will involve about 90,000 Iraqi and American troops, was seen by many as a last chance to curb Iraq's sectarian war.



Top World News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲精品专区一区二区欧美 | 久久亚洲精品国产精品777777 | 怡红院成人网 | 久久免费视频8 | 洋老外米糕国产一区二区 | 很黄的网站在线观看 | 亚洲国产成人在线 | 全部在线美女网站免费观看 | 国产制服 国产制服一区二区 | 欧美午夜成年片在线观看 | 92国产福利久久青青草原 | 久久久一本 | 国产午夜精品理论片 | 男人一进一出桶女人视频 | 中国三级毛片 | 国产在线视频专区 | 国产丝袜不卡一区二区 | 亚洲精品成人久久 | 国产成人精品福利网站在线观看 | 久久伊人网站 | 国产久草视频在线 | 在线欧美| 日本天堂网址 | 欧美在线观看一区二区 | 国产免费一级片 | 亚洲国产精品一区二区三区久久 | 成年女人黄小视频 | 国产欧美精品区一区二区三区 | 精品久久久久久综合日本 | 欧美一级毛片免费看视频 | 日本欧美一区二区三区在线 | 精品欧美亚洲韩国日本久久 | 三级毛片在线 | 欧美三级不卡在线观看视频 | 99久久久久国产精品免费 | 精品久久一区二区三区 | 国产精品99r8免费视频2022 | 在线播放一级片 | 国产成人精品一区二区三在线观看 | 国产精品亚洲第一区二区三区 | 日韩一级片|