5 U.S. Soldiers Killed In Iraq Attack

(CBS/AP)  Five American soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a coordinated attack in southern Baghdad involving a roadside bomb and rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. military announced Friday.

The soldiers were on a combat patrol when a roadside bomb exploded near them on Thursday, the military said in a statement. Shortly after the blast, insurgents attacked with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, it said.

All seven wounded soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital, and one has since returned to duty, the military said. The victims' names were withheld pending family notification.

The deaths brought to 99 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq this month, according to an Associated Press count. The toll for the past three months — 329 — made it the deadliest quarter for U.S. troops in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.

At least 3,576 members of the U.S. military have died since then, according to AP figures. The number includes seven military civilians. At least 2,936 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

In other developments:

The Security Council voted Friday to immediately shut down the U.N. bodies key to monitoring Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs under Saddam Hussein, a decision an Iraqi diplomat said would close "an appalling chapter" in his country's history. The resolution terminating the mandate of the U.N. bodies responsible for monitoring for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons was approved by a vote of 14-0, with Russia abstaining.

Iraqi police said a suicide car bomb exploded at Iraqi army post north of Baghdad, destroying the building and igniting a fire. There was no immediate word on casualties. The blast went off at a railway station in Mishada, a town 20 miles north of the capital, an officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Iraqi police said a bomb exploded under an oil pipeline south of Baghdad on Friday, spilling crude oil and sparking a huge fire. The explosives were planted under a stretch of pipeline in the Mowehlah area of Haswa, a town 30 miles south of the Iraqi capital, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

A parked car bomb exploded in one of Baghdad's busy outdoor bus stations at rush hour Thursday, killing at least 22 people, and 20 beheaded bodies were found on the banks of the Tigris River southeast of the capital, two Iraqi police officers said. The blast hit a crowded hub in southwest Baghdad's Baiyaa neighborhood, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Meanwhile, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr postponed a Shiite march to a bombed shrine north of Baghdad that was scheduled for July 5, an aide said.

"Muqtada al-Sadr has decided to postpone the march to Samarra for several reasons, including the government's inability to secure the route and many officials' appeals for a postponement," said Sheik Asad Al-Nassiri, an aide to the cleric. He made the announcement during a Friday sermon in nearby Kufa.

Sunni organizations and government officials had urged al-Sadr to cancel the march to the Askariya shrine in Samarra, which was bombed for a second time earlier this month, fearing it would escalate sectarian violence that already has claimed thousands of lives.

Al-Sadr had said the march was aimed at bringing Shiites and Sunnis closer together and breaking down the barriers imposed by the Americans and Sunni religious extremists.

Also Friday, the British military issued a statement saying all of its bases came under attack from mortars or rockets in the past 24 hours, but there were no casualties or damage.

Britain maintains a force of about 5,500 troops based mainly on the fringes of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad.

[toldyouso21]

Probably the biggest and ongoing mistake of the Iraq war was America telling itself that it had been won (but we had not won the peace--propaganda) and that we were really the saviours of Iraq instead of invaders and conquerors.

Face it, the fact it is still called the "Iraq war" says it all. We never won the Iraq war. We won every single major offensive--but a war ain't over until the other side stops fighting--and they ain't stopped fighting. The fact we are perplexed, confused and in disarray comes from the facts that we cannot accept that we have not EVER won Iraq yet--no matter the propaganda and hype--and the reason we cannot win is that we cannot do what we need to do to win--


That last mistake is because we are locked now into being heros and friends and therefore cannot go all out and kill and destroy like we did when we were the invaders. We are supposed to be "friends and protectors now" Even though people who invade and attack other countries and kill the people in those countries cannot be friends and protectors--so now we are locked in...a war we want to pretend is over, protecting people we want to pretend want us there. The only lie we have left is to pretend that we live there and they invaded us.

[prinzowhales]

Its time to bring the troops home. In our own Revolution that resulted in the birth of these United States, we had able assistance from the French fleet and army. They didn't hang around, establish a puppet government and try to intimidate us into signing over our resources to them.

We got rid of Saddam--a real swine, but he had been our swine until Bush41 betrayed him in the first Gulf War. The first stage of the Stupid Peoples' War 'freed' Iraq. "Mission Accomplished"...albeit a fool's errand, a fool's mission.

The plan that the Bush Regime allegedly didn't have was to create chaos and sectarian violence in Iraq. This started with the Americans shooting security guards and calling on the Shi'ia to loot government buildings and museums...destroying the nation's heritage while at the same time LEAVING HUGE ARSENALS UNGUARDED, while, of course, the all important oil ministry was provided with protection.

Curiously, Bush is faulted for not having a plan, when he obviously had one. Plans for 14 permanent bases were there--and these things aren't just 'nice ideas' that come about independent of other considerations. As our bases in CONUS are part of an overall scheme of defense and offense, as our ABM strategy is part of an overall offensive scheme in Eastern Europe to launch a first strike and survive retaliation, so these bases are part of an overall plan.

Its time to end the lies and bring our soldiers home. Time to make a CLEAN BREAK with the Bush past.

[prinzowhales]

Its time to bring the troops home. In our own Revolution that resulted in the birth of these United States, we had able assistance from the French fleet and army. They didn't hang around, establish a puppet government and try to intimidate us into signing over our resources to them.

We got rid of Saddam--a real swine, but he had been our swine until Bush41 betrayed him in the first Gulf War. The first stage of the Stupid Peoples' War 'freed' Iraq. "Mission Accomplished"...albeit a fool's errand, a fool's mission.

The plan that the Bush Regime allegedly didn't have was to create chaos and sectarian violence in Iraq. This started with the Americans shooting security guards and calling on the Shi'ia to loot government buildings and museums...destroying the nation's heritage while at the same time LEAVING HUGE ARSENALS UNGUARDED, while, of course, the all important oil ministry was provided with protection.

Curiously, Bush is faulted for not having a plan, when he obviously had one. Plans for 14 permanent bases were there--and these things aren't just 'nice ideas' that come about independent of other considerations. As our bases in CONUS are part of an overall scheme of defense and offense, as our ABM strategy is part of an overall offensive scheme in Eastern Europe to launch a first strike and survive retaliation, so these bases are part of an overall plan.

Its time to end the lies and bring our soldiers home. Time to make a CLEAN BREAK with the Bush past.

[randalds]

The blood of five more of our troops on Bush's hands. He'll never be able to wash it off or the stink of having lied the US into a war for profit for Cheney and buddies and ego for himself. His misguided stupidity of believing the Neoconservative fantasy that this would "spread democracy" has cost us the lives of more then 3500 of our troops in vain. they died for nothing. Not for freedom or democracy or protecting America, or WMD's or even fighting terror. Their lives were wasted and Bush is the mass murderer who slaughtered them as much as if he'd shot them all down himself. he's a sick and demented creature. A mentally stunted man-child with the intelligence level of about an 8 year old, but sadly he's playing his games with the real lives of real human beings. He needs to be stopped at all costs, before he kills more.

[feelfree1]

We knew that it would be close, but the Bush regime butchers managed to set yet another record for pointlessly wasting the lives of U.S. soldiers in their illegal war against Iraq.

With 100 U.S. soldiers now dead in June, the Bush pirates have managed to cause the unnecessary deaths of 100 or more U.S. soldiers, for 3 straight months, marking a death rate that has not been seen during the entire illegal war.

This seems to demonstrate that nobody kills American soldiers, for no good reason, like the Bush regime pirates.

[pepperp1]

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) told Vice President *** Cheney to %u201Cresign or face impeachment%u201D

[pepperp1]

Get our soldiers out of there we are allowing them to be slaughtered, ENOUGH. This country allowed Bush to invade an innocent country, and now we just have to live with the mess he has created. Hold on to your seats when this war economy ends, most of you will be much poorer, and oil prices with Iraq not under our control will be really, really high but we have to break free of our dependency on their oil we can%u2019t just keep sacrificing our men and women...

[bluestardad]

HAVE WE MET THE REPUBLICAN DEATH TOLL YET?

HOW MANY MORE AMERICANS HAVE TO DIE FOR AN ISRAELI POLICY?

CARL LEVIN AND STENY HOYER ARE JUST AS SOLD OUT OT AIPAC AS THE REPUBLICANS ARE!

[pwrslm]

back up?

[roger_inkart]

Where did all the comments go? Are they with the "missing" WMDs? ;)