Posted on 04/13/2003 7:28:29 PM PDT by 11th_VA
MAHMUDIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Six U.S. soldiers were wounded, at least two of them seriously, when an Iraqi paramilitary hurled a hand grenade at them as they removed mortars from a weapons cache south of Baghdad.
Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division were taking mortars into the front courtyard of a Baath Party office compound in Mahmudiya, 15 miles south of Baghdad, when a car stopped behind a crowd outside, a man jumped out and flung the grenade.
Six soldiers were flown by helicopter to a field hospital inside Iraq and at least 10 more were listed as walking wounded.
At the same time, some 40 soldiers in the compound also came under fire from three separate positions around the compound.
"We heard three quick pops. We all turned around and then boom, that shit knocked me right off my feet," said Sergeant Travis May, who suffered slight shrapnel wounds in the attack but did not need to be evacuated.
"I got up and saw the guys just lying there, with blood coming out."
The crowd of about 200 people lining walls around the compound scattered and U.S. soldiers opened fire at the positions where they believed the paramilitaries were hiding.
Helicopter gunships and troop reinforcements were deployed within minutes but the assailants apparently escaped, possibly into a mosque less than 100 yards away.
"It was a hit-and-run attack," said Major Brian Pearl, adding that the use of grenades and assault rifle fire was clearly coordinated. "That grenade was thrown from about 30 meters. That's not a bad throw at all."
The same unit of the 101st took part in intense street-to-street fighting in the central Iraqi city of Kerbala a week ago but emerged practically unscathed.
Sunday's grenade attack underscored dangers still facing U.S. troops even as the war against Saddam Hussein appears to be largely won and they assume policing duties in Baghdad.
Military officers say one of the greatest dangers comes from crowds that gather around U.S. forces virtually wherever they go. Paramilitaries can use the crowds as cover, allowing them to attack soldiers from close range without detection, they say.
Your suggestion better be heeded quickly. We can't afford to be nickle and dimed because of half-ass security.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.