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<p>December 1, 2003 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. forces repelled an attack by Saddam Hussein loyalists yesterday, killing at least 46 Iraqis in a bloody battle in the northern city of Samarra. Five Americans were wounded, as U.S. troops killed dozens, wounded at least 18 and captured eight others, authorities said.</p>

Kimmitt gave the following chronology of the fighting: At 11 a.m. Sunday, the U.S. forces began moving into Samarra and reported contact with enemy fighters. Two roadside bombs exploded simultaneously, injuring three U.S. soldiers. At about 1:25 p.m., one convoy reached the Samarra Bank in the eastern part of the city and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire from multiple directions. Attackers were firing from windows and roofs of nearby buildings, as well as from alleys and nearby vehicles. U.S. forces returned fire while the currency exchange went ahead. When it was finished, the team departed to the...

  United States Department of Defense.News TranscriptOn the web: http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031201-0962.htmlMedia contact: +1 (703) 697-5131 Public contact: http://www.dod.mil/faq/comment.html or +1 (703) 428-0711 Presenter: Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director for Operations Monday, December 1, 2003 9:12 a.m. EST Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing (Participating was Daniel Senor, Senior Advisor.)            MR. SENOR:  Good afternoon.  General Kimmitt has a opening statement, after which we'll be happy to take your questions.            I just have a few words on Ambassador Bremer's recent activities. Ambassador Bremer continues to work with the Governing Council on the implementation of the November 15th political agreement which lays the foundation...

SAMARRA, Iraq (AFP) - The US military said it believed 54 insurgents were killed in intense exchanges in the northern Iraqi town of Samarra the previous day but commanders admitted they had no bodies. The only corpses at the city's hospital were those of ordinary civilians, including two elderly Iranian pilgrims and a child. US Brigadier General Mark Kimmit told a Baghdad press conference that 54 militants had been gunned down, 22 wounded and one arrested. But challenged about what had happened to the bodies, Kimmit said: "I would suspect that the enemy would have carried them away and brought...

SAMARRA, Iraq - An ambush and shootout that killed dozens of Iraqis represented a new level of coordination in the anti-coalition insurgency, U.S. officials said Monday. The U.S. military said 54 Iraqis were killed Sunday in the northern city of Samarra as U.S. forces used tanks and cannons to fight their way out of simultaneous ambushes while delivering new Iraqi currency to banks. Residents said the casualty figure was much lower and that the dead were mostly civilians. But by the American account, the battle was the bloodiest combat reported since the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s...

FN Alert:   Banner: US forces kill 46 Iraqis trying to ambush them in central Iraq.   Steve Centanni: 46 Iraqis were killed and 8 others were taken captive.       Across wire:4th Infantry Division repelled multiple ambush attacks, at least 18 Iraqi attackers, 5 US soldiers were wounded. No reported deaths.