US hit by worst Iraq loss in a month

FRESH VIOLENCE: US troops have suffered their biggest single loss in a month, bringing to an end a relative lull in violence.(AFP)

Two car bombs rocked Baghdad on Wednesday, killing 19 people, while US troops suffered their biggest single loss in a month, bringing to an end a relative lull in violence, officials said.

In the first blast, a powerful truck bomb targeted the home of a senior police officer coordinating security operations with the military in the capital of six million people, police said.

Fifteen people were killed, including the officer's nephew. At least 65 more were wounded, with three of them being relatives of the intended target in the Al-Shab neighbourhood. The victims were rushed to two hospitals.

Police said the officer, whose name was not given, was not at home when the bomber struck.

Separately, a car bomb exploded outside a family restaurant serving fast food and ice cream in the Jadiya neighbourhood, killing four people and wounding 10, police said.

The attacks came as another bombing of police in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, killed four policemen, including an officer.

Earlier in the day, three American soldiers were killed by small arms fire in the mainly Sunni Arab town of Hawijah, near the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, the US military said.

The US deaths on Wednesday raised to 4,090 the number of American troops killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to an AFP tally based on the independent website www.icasualties.org.

Wednesday's attack produced the highest single loss for American troops since four marines died in a mine attack in the former Sunni rebel bastion of Anbar province on May 4.

Overall, US troops last month saw their lowest level of losses since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The number killed in May dropped to 19, with the previous low being in February 2004, when 20 died.

Iraqi security authorities also reported a 50% decline in the number of Iraqi nationals killed last month to 563 from April. The number of Iraqis wounded last month was also down to 1,003 from 2,008 in April.

US military authorities had said that the decline in violence was due to stepped up operations against militia and insurgents, but that Al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives still had the ability to stage spectacular strikes.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

USER COMMENTS (0 COMMENTS)

POST A COMMENT

CLICK HERE TO POST A COMMENT

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.