Car Bomb Kills Four U.S. Army Soldiers

ABC news ^ | March 29, 2003 | ABC news

[Aaron0617]

The four soldiers were with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which was operating the checkpoint, and with which Koppel is embedded.

The division has been among the closest U.S.-led forces to Baghdad, reaching approximately 50 to 60 miles south of Iraq's capital city. However, the exact location of the car bombing was not clear.

The soldiers were standing at the side of their Bradley fighting vehicle at the checkpoint when a car drove up and exploded, killing all four, and presumably the occupants of the exploded car, Koppel reported.

The incident has the military considering banning all civilian traffic through the area.

The newest attack means at least 33 Americans have been killed since the war began, seven have been taken as prisoners of war, and at least 20 are missing in action, according to ABCNEWS figures based on coalition reports.

[frosty snowman]

MSNBC covering this now

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I'll be really PO'd if I hear this reported as a "suicide bombing" mission. This was cold-blooded murder!

[seeker41]

Fox says 5 killed.

[BossLady]

Saddamacide!!!!

[Orlando]

Why have the GAS supply lines NOT BEEN CUT-OFF, Yet .
Everytime i see Baghdad , I see cars,buses,, trucks all over the place, there must not be a storage of FUEL. CUT there fuel supply.

[goldstategop]

You wonder why they are "surprised" at incidents like this.

[LWalk18]

At least 5 killed plus injured soldiers.

[kcvl]

and presumably the occupants of the exploded car, Koppel reported

No *hit, Sherlock! Sometimes(most times)you have to wonder what these people are thinking.

[MEG33]

May God be with their loved ones.

[goldstategop]

This is the first car bombing since the Marines were bombed by terrorists in Lebanon 20 years ago. Ronald Reagan made one stupid mistake then that would haunt him til the day he dies: he had our military cut and run and then refused to order a suitable response to the massacre. Let's hope President Bush doesn't let this one go unanswered. We paid for that dearly ever since by letting terrorists murder Americans with impunity thinking we were wimps and the end result was 9-11. NEVER AGAIN!!!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

See? What'd I tell ya?!

APPARENT SUICIDE BOMBING NORTH OF NAJAF

[kcvl]

Central Baghdad Pounded by More Air Raids
VOA News
29 Mar 2003, 08:48 UTC


Coalition forces bombed Baghdad during daylight air raids Saturday after repeated strikes overnight hit government buildings and Republican Guard positions around the Iraqi capital.

Anti-aircraft fire filled the sky as warplanes were heard overhead. Witnesses say an explosion early today extensively damaged Iraq's Ministry of Information. U.S. military officials say the ministry was targeted by Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Iraqi officials are blaming coalition bombs for an explosion that killed at least 58 people late Friday at a crowded market in the capital. U.S. officials say they are investigating the reports.

A car-bomb explosion at a checkpoint manned by U.S. forces in central Iraq apparently has caused a number of casualties. A VOA correspondent near the scene of the blast says a civilian car rammed into U.S. military vehicles and exploded in what soldiers called a suicidal attack.

Details of the car-bomb explosion are still coming in. The blast occurred about 40 kilometers northwest of Najaf.

In fighting south of the capital, battles were reported in Dinwaniyah, Najaf and Nasiriyah, where four U.S. Marines are reported missing.

News reports say U.S. ground forces gathering for an assault on Baghdad are expected to consolidate their supply lines over the next few days before any further advance toward the Iraqi capital. Senior U.S. military officials have declined to discuss details of their future plans in detail.

In the southern city of Basra, meanwhile, U.S. military officials say warplanes destroyed a building where 200 paramilitary fighters were meeting.

U.S. officials say laser-guided missiles with a delayed fuse exploded deep inside the two-story building, a deliberate tactic to minimize damage to surrounding buildings, which included a church.

Iraqi paramilitary forces, or fedayeen, have been linked to a series of guerrilla tactics and brutal harassment of Iraqi civilians. British troops outside Basra fired on paramilitaries Friday who were seen shooting at civilians trying to flee the city.

In other action, U.S. attack helicopters targeted the Medina division of Iraq's elite Republican Guard southwest of Baghdad Friday. Two helicopters crash-landed after the mission, but no serious injuries were reported.

The British Ministry of Defense says one British soldier is missing and presumed dead and four others were wounded when they were fired on by allied forces in a so-called "friendly fire" incident.

U.S. officials also say one soldier was killed and five injured early today when their armored vehicle rolled over.

[Pro-Bush]

This just shows how desperate these people are...There's not be enough virgins to go around for these bastards! Pray for their failies and ones that loved them. I think the gloves are finally off, time to get busy. Relax 4-6 days.. my ass!

[Dont Mention the War]

And CBS News is off the air again.

[goldstategop]

They should put up two rules: no cars will be allowed to drive up to a checkpoint and people who need to pass through on foot must strip to their chests and waists to make sure they're not wearing explosive belts. Yes, its incovenient to the locals but inconvenience be damned. Protecting the lives of our soldiers, not political correctness or the local inhabitants' hurt feelings, should ALWAYS be Central Command's top priority in this war.

[EternalVigilance]

This the kind of enemy we are faced with:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/879038/posts?page=97#97

I wonder if they think these atrocities improve their prospects of winning this war, because it doesn't. It just gets a whole lot more Iraqis killed. Not that they care about that.

[kcvl]

Iraqis Seek to Even Odds With Guerrilla Tactics

By Graham Rayman
Staff Correspondent

March 29, 2003


Southern Iraq -- Staged surrenders. Soldiers dressed in Bedouin robes. And now hospitals used as bunkers. From the protection of a hospital, Iraqi guerillas fired bullets and mortar recently at U.S. Marines in An Nasiriyah, military officials said.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/iraq/ny-wogenl0329,0,157700.story?coll=ny-nationworld-world-utility

[lizma]

They,we, need to be informing our fighting force about this now.

We are fighting the lowest of the low and they have to remember it with every breath.