44 GIs Hurt In Iraq Prison Attack

Rebels Hit Abu Ghraib With Suicide Car Bombs, Grenades

(CBS/AP)  U.S. military officials say rebel forces attacked the Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad Saturday, injuring 44 U.S. soldiers and 12 prisoners. That report came several hours after officials said 20 U.S. service members were injured in the incident.

At least 40 militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and set off two car bombs Saturday at the prison. Soldiers and Marines stationed at the detention facility responded, and the resulting clash and gunfight lasted about 40 minutes.

An Internet statement purportedly by al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility Sunday. The claim could not be independently verified.

A U.S. military spokesman, 1st Lt. Adam Rondeau, said the attack - carried out by 40 to 60 militants - began as darkness fell on the city. "This was obviously a very well organized attack and a very big attack," said Rondeau.

It wasn't immediately clear if any of the insurgents carrying out the attack were arrested or suffered casualties. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the area.

Last summer, pictures showing soldiers piling prisoners naked in a pyramid at the prison were turned over to investigators. The resulting scandal tarnished the military's image in Arab countries and worldwide and sparked investigations of detainee abuses.

The United States is holding about 10,500 prisoners in Iraq.

In other developments:

Iraqi lawmakers Sunday elected Industry Minister Hajim al-Hassani, a Sunni Arab, as parliament speaker, ending days of deadlock. Former nuclear scientist Hussain al-Shahristani, a Shiite, and Kurdish leader Aref Taifour were elected as al-Hassani's deputies. The decision came two months after historic elections, and was a step toward repairing the tattered image of the newly elected National Assembly, which had bickered for days over who would take the speaker post.

A car bomb exploded Saturday in central Iraq, killing five people, including four police officers on patrol. The car bomb in Khan Bani Saad, near the troubled city of Baqouba in central Iraq, also injured two police officers and three civilians, said provincial police Col. Mudafar al-Jubori.

In Baghdad, gunmen assassinated an education official. Hassib Zamil was gunned down outside of the Education Ministry offices in the Sadr City neighborhood.

Influential Sunni scholars encouraged Iraqis to join the country's security forces and protect the country, issuing an edict Friday that departed sharply from earlier warnings against participating in the fledgling police and army.

Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who led uprisings against the U.S.-led coalition last year, called on his supporters to stage a protest in Baghdad on April 9 to mark the second anniversary of U.S. troops entering the capital. Sheik Hassan al-Edhari, an official at al-Sadr's Baghdad office, said the protesters will demand that the new Iraqi government set a timetable for withdrawing foreign troops and for trying Saddam.

An explosion Friday damaged a ninth-century spiral minaret that is one of Iraq's most recognized landmarks. The blast in the central city of Samarra blew a large hole in the structure, police Lt. Qasim Mohammed said. Witnesses said two men climbed the 170-foot-tall minaret, then returned to the ground before the explosion occurred. The minaret is a symbol of Samarra's past glory, the only remains of a mosque dating back from the Abbasid Islamic dynasty. The minaret, a tall, slender mosque tower, is featured on Iraq's 250-dinar bill.

A military court in Germany Friday dismissed a U.S. Army captain from the military in the shooting death of a wounded Iraqi, but did not impose a prison sentence. Capt. Rogelio "Roger" Maynulet, 30, was convicted Thursday of assault with intent to commit voluntary manslaughter, which carries a 10-year maximum. He maintained the killing was "honorable" because he wanted to end the man's suffering.

The Army says it has uncovered many problems with its newest troop transport, a combat vehicle first put into use in Iraq. A study of the Stryker's performance in Iraq found numerous design flaws and other problems. For example, the 19-ton, eight-wheeled vehicle bogs down in mud and the engine strains when 5,000-pound armor is added to protect troops from insurgents' explosives.

As of Thursday, at least 1,532 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,161 died as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. The figures include four military civilians.



©MMV CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Share:

Digg

Facebook

Yahoo! Buzz

Twitter

Mixx

Video and Galleries from Iraq After Saddam

• Photos Iraq Photos: July 6?July 12
• Photos Iraq Photos: June 29-July 5
• Photos Iraq Photos: June 22 ? June 28

Latest in Iraq After Saddam

Bombs Claim 50 in Iraq

Biden Meets with Key U.S. Leaders in Iraq

Senate Investigates Blackwater Subsidiary