Posted on 04/07/2003 1:22:35 AM PDT by kattracks
Two US Marines reported dead in battle for bridges
OUTSIDE BAGHDAD, April 7 (Reuters) - Two U.S. Marines were killed and many were injured on Monday in fighting to secure two bridges over a river on the edge of Baghdad, key objectives for U.S. forces advancing on the city, the U.S. military said.
Marines said both bridges were badly damaged in the fighting, rendering them impassable for tanks and heavy armour.
The two Marines were killed when an artillery shell landed on the turret of their amphibious assault vehicle, blasting through the tracked vehicle's armour, Master Sergeant Marvin Crawford told Reuters near the scene, to the east of Baghdad.
"Multiple Marines were injured and I know it was two that died, it was bad, there were body parts all over the place," he said.
The river was identified by U.S. Marine maps as the Nahr Diyala, a tributary of the Tigris river that flows up the eastern flank of the Iraqi capital.
04/07/03 04:18 ET
Thanx Kat, I'll be around ;)
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