Posted on 06/18/2006 7:52:39 AM PDT by kellynla
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. troops searched Sunday for two missing soldiers in the volatile Sunni triangle south of Baghdad as witnesses claimed the Americans were led away by masked gunmen after the attack that left one of their comrades dead.
Ground forces, helicopters and airplanes fanned out shortly after Friday's attack and U.S. military spokesman U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said Saturday that four raids had been carried out.
He said a dive team also was to search for the men, whose checkpoint was near a Euphrates River canal not far from Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad - in the so-called triangle of death, named for the frequent ambushes against U.S. soldiers and Iraqi troops in the area.
Ahmed Khalaf Falah, a farmer who said he witnessed the attack Friday, said three Humvees were manning a checkpoint when they came under fire from many directions. Two of the vehicles went after the assailants, but the third was ambushed before it could move, he told The Associated Press.
Seven masked gunmen, including one with what he described as a heavy machine gun, killed the driver of the third vehicle, then took the two other U.S. soldiers captive, the witness said. The account could not be verified.
The U.S. military said Sunday it was continuing the search but had no new information to provide.
"Coalition and Iraqi forces will continue to search everywhere possible, uncovering every stone, until our soldiers are found, and we will continue to use every resource available in our search," it said.
The New York Times also reported in its Sunday editions that Iraqi residents in the area said they saw two U.S. soldiers taken prisoner by a group of masked guerrillas. It said the two surviving soldiers were led to two cars and driven away.
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.washingtontimes.com ...
ping
Christian, please pray for these two brave men. I don't want to imagine what these minions of Satan can do to them.
I'm dreading a video coming out.
As an old Viet Nam boy, my suggestion is that capture by the enemy in Iraq is not worth it. Death is better.
My tag line until Matt is found.
Liberals finally have something to celebrate after a brutal week.
Here's a prayer thread we started last night.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1650924/posts
this has wieghed heavy on me since I first heard it Friday night- it really puts a damper on Fathers Day....I am basically going to open my browser only to Free Republic and pray hard....
Thanks.
They need a strong hedge around them.
I agree with the subdermal implant. I think all civilian contractors should have the same.
The mark of the beast implanted in every soldier?
If we can find them then so can the enemy.
Nix to that idea.
Meanwhile, prayers up.
You really want an enemy to be able to hack our implants and be able to see how all our troops are deployed at any given time.
It's a lousey idea.
I believe an encrypted satellite up link configuration would work. The transmitted coordinates would be sent straight up and the only way the signal could be intercepted would be from overhead. Since the ragheads have no air force that would be difficult. The encryption prevents the signal from being understood even if intercepted.
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