• Home
  • World
  • Iraq After Saddam
BAGHDAD, Aug. 2, 2007

3 More GI Deaths Reported In Iraq

Blast Kills At Least 13; Gates: We Underestimated Iraqis' Mistrust Of Each Other

By Amy S Clark
  • Video Getting Saudi Arabia's Help

    After months of political chess and new intelligence on foreign al Qaeda leadership in Iraq, the U.S. is trying try to gain Saudi support. Sheila MacVicar reports.

  • Video 50 Dead In Iraq Blast

    CBS News RAW: A fuel tanker exploded at a gas station in western Baghdad killing at least 50 and injuring more. Police suspect the blast was a suicide attack. NO AUDIO

    • A U.S. soldier from the Bronco Troop, 1st squadron, 14th Cavalry conducts a night patrol with three platoons in the village of Sweb, south of Baqouba, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2007.

      A U.S. soldier from the Bronco Troop, 1st squadron, 14th Cavalry conducts a night patrol with three platoons in the village of Sweb, south of Baqouba, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2007.  (OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI/AFP/Getty)

    • Firemen extinguish a fuel tanker that exploded near a gas station in the primarily Sunni Mansour neighborhood of western Baghdad, killing at least 50 people and wounding 60, on Aug. 1, 2007.

      Firemen extinguish a fuel tanker that exploded near a gas station in the primarily Sunni Mansour neighborhood of western Baghdad, killing at least 50 people and wounding 60, on Aug. 1, 2007.  (AP Photo/Asaad Mouhsin)

    • Younis Muhammad, age 7, is bandaged by a nurse after a parked car bomb in central Baghdad killed 12 civilians and wounded 17 on Aug. 1, 2007.

      Younis Muhammad, age 7, is bandaged by a nurse after a parked car bomb in central Baghdad killed 12 civilians and wounded 17 on Aug. 1, 2007.  (AP Photo/Adil al-Khazali)

    • The aftermath of a car bomb explosion in Baghdad on Aug. 1, 2007, that hit at about 10 in the morning in pedestrian-packed al-Hurriyah square.

      The aftermath of a car bomb explosion in Baghdad on Aug. 1, 2007, that hit at about 10 in the morning in pedestrian-packed al-Hurriyah square.  (AP)

    Previous slide Next slide
  • Interactive Battle For Iraq

    The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.

  • Interactive New Plan For Iraq

    Key elements of the plan, excerpts from the president's speech, reaction and more.

  • Interactive American Heroes

    Profiles of U.S. soldiers who've died in Iraq, a look at the war's toll and pictures of mourning.

(CBS/AP)  Three U.S. soldiers were killed in attacks in Iraq, the military said Thursday, as a suicide car bomber slammed into an Iraqi police station northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 13 people, according to police.

Most of the victims of the Thursday blast were recruits lining up outside the station in Hibhib, a town about 14 miles north of Baqouba, a police officer said on condition of anonymity out of security concerns. Baqouba is the capital of Diyala province, which lies northeast of Baghdad.

Fifteen others were wounded in the attack, the officer said.

Two Americans were killed and 10 wounded Tuesday in a mortar or rocket attack, the military said in a statement. It did not release details or the location of the attack, but said the soldiers were assigned to Task Force Marne, which is based on the southern fringes of Baghdad.

Another soldier was killed and two more wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle Wednesday during a combat logistics patrol near Basra, in southern Iraq, another statement said. The incident was under investigation, it said.

Military officials reported three deaths on Wednesday as well — three U.S. soldiers on patrol in eastern Baghdad who died Tuesday when they were hit by a sophisticated armor-piercing bomb known as an EFP (explosively-formed penetrator). Six more troops were wounded in the attack.

All six of the victims' names have been withheld pending family notification.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials underestimated how difficult it would be for the Iraqi government to pass political reforms, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, adding that the "depth of mistrust" among the factions is greater than anticipated.

Gates comments came as Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's party asked the country's largest Sunni Arab bloc Thursday to reconsider its withdrawal from government, in a last-ditch effort to restore Iraq's national unity government.

Talking to reporters on board his plane as he returned from a four-day swing through the Middle East, Gates said he is more optimistic about improvements in security in the wartorn nation than he is about getting legislation passed by the bitterly divided government.

"In some ways we probably all underestimated the depth of the mistrust and how difficult it would be for these guys to come together on legislation," Gates said. "The kinds of legislation they're talking about will establish the framework of Iraq for the future so it's almost like our constitutional convention ... And the difficulty in coming to grips with those, we may all have underestimated six or eight months ago."

(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Gates, seen at left, said the political developments are "somewhat discouraging at the national level," but he hopes it can be patched back together.

Meanwhile, he said security is improving.

"I am optimistic on the security side because of what I see in al Anbar, and what we're seeing in some of the other provinces where we're getting some cooperation," he said.

All six Cabinet ministers from the Iraqi Accordance Front quit al Maliki's regime a day earlier, to protest what they called the prime minister's failure to respond to a set of demands. Among them: the release of security detainees not charged with specific crimes, the disbanding of militias and the participation of all groups represented in the government in dealing with security issues.

Their resignation left only two Sunnis in the 40-member Cabinet, undermining al-Maliki's efforts to pull together rival factions and pass reconciliation laws the U.S. considers benchmarks toward healing the country's deep war wounds.

Al-Maliki's Islamic Dawa Party issued a statement Thursday calling on the Accordance Front to "reconsider its decision."

"The party expresses its concern and regret about this setback for Iraqi politics, an action taken before exploring any dialogue," the statement said.

"We need to stand side by side as a national unity government and set aside all differences and cooperate, in order to answer the challenges our people are suffering," it said.

But an Accordance Front lawmaker, reacting to the Dawa statement, said Thursday that the bloc would reconsider its withdrawal only if promised "the priority of real partnership."

"If we were assured by tangible and concrete promises of real change...and the priority of real partnership, we would reconsider our stance," Salim Abdullah, a Sunni parliament member, told The Associated Press. But he added that he was not optimistic such assurances would come from al-Maliki.

In other developments:

  • A Marine Corps squad leader was convicted Thursday of unpremeditated murder in the killing of an Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania during a frustrated search for an insurgent.

  • Brushing aside a veto threat, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted Thursday to give U.S. troops guaranteed time at home between deployments to Iraq. The vote was 229-194 on the legislation, designed to complicate the Defense Department's ability to rotate sufficient troops into the war zone.

  • Altogether at least 142 Iraqis were killed or found dead, including 70 in three separate bombings Wednesday in Baghdad. The violence came after July ended as the second-deadliest month for Iraqis so far this year, but with the lowest U.S. death toll in eight months. The deadliest attack occurred when a suicide bomber blew up a fuel tanker near a gas station in western Baghdad's primarily Sunni Mansour neighborhood. At least 50 people died and 60 were wounded, police said.

  • The American military announced it found a mass grave in Diyala province northeast of the capital. The grave contained 17 bodies of mostly Sunni Muslims — including women, children and elderly people — killed by al Qaeda in Iraq, the military said in a statement. U.S. forces did not say how they knew the attackers were al Qaeda in Iraq.

  • U.S. and Iraqi forces killed seven suspects and captured 22 others in raids across Iraq, the American military said Thursday. Among those targeted were emirs, or top-ranking figures, of al Qaeda in Iraq, the U.S. military said. One emir was captured and another was killed Wednesday in separate operations in Mosul, it said. Another emir was captured a day later in Baghdad, it added. U.S. troops also killed four suspects in separate raids in Mosul, Samarra and north of Karmah, the military said in a statement.

  • A soldier in prison for conspiring to rape an Iraqi girl and kill her and her family has left military prosecutors at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, struggling to recover after his testimony. Specialist James Barker admitted yesterday that he previously made false statements implicating a comrade. Barker testified he deliberately misled prosecutors depending on how they posed their questions, and had allowed investigators to draft sworn statements for him that implicated Private First Class Jesse Spielman of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in the crime.

  • U.S. casualties are down in Baghdad, but there is also positive news from Diyala province to the North. Brig. General Mick Bednarek, Deputy Commanding General of Operations in the region, tells CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick that additional troops and operations have al Qaeda militants on the move, and coalition forces hope to stay hot on their heels. (Interview Podcast)

    © MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
    Share:
    Digg
    Yahoo! Buzz
    Mixx

    More From Iraq After Saddam

    Add a Comment See all 102 Comments
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 7:45 AM EDT
    Is islam a violation of international law???

    islam practices slavery on non muslims
    islam practices apartheid on non muslims
    islam practices rape on non muslims
    islam practices rape on babies and animals
    islam practices genocide on non muslims

    all are violations of international law and are crimes against humanity

    Universal Declaration of Human Rights
    http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/22/world/main2505445.shtml
    Imam Khomeini - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution
    http://www.homa.org/Details.asp?ContentID=2137352826&TOCID=2083225445
    Malaysia women 'suffer apartheid'
    The daughter of Malaysia's former prime minister has launched a scathing attack on the roles and status of Muslim women in the country.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4784784.stm
    A matter of tolerance
    http://musingwithmarinamahathir.blogspot.com/2006/12/matter-of-tolerance.html
    Marina Mahathir
    http://musingwithmarinamahathir.blogspot.com/
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=slavery+islam&btnG=Search
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4795808.stm
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=apartheid islam
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rape islam
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=rape islam babies&btnG=Search
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=genocide islam&btnG=Search
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 7:32 AM EDT
    NONE OF US IS FREE UNLESS ALL ARE FREE!!!

    WHY IS IT NOT ONE MUSLIM COUNTRY GRANTS EQUAL RIGHTS TO NON MUSLIMS???

    FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM SAYS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATES ISLAM LAW...

    Universal Declaration of Human Rights
    http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

    For example, in 1981, the Iranian representative to the United Nations, Said Rajaie-Khorassani, articulated the position of his country regarding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by saying that the UDHR was "a secular understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition", which could not be implemented by Muslims without trespassing the Islamic law.

    http://www.un.org/terrorism/
    http://www.un.org/terrorism/strategy-counter-terrorism.html
    http://www.un.org/

    But the accepted assumption in India is that most of India's Muslims were converted to Islam through the sword. Meaning the Indians were given an option between death or adopting Islam. The third option was getting examined in Islam religion along with heavy taxes- Jeziya (poll tax) and Kharaj (property tax).

    http://adaniel.tripod.com/Islam.htm

    this is what fascist nazi islam calls peace....

    are you ready to live under islam rule as a non muslim???

    apartheid fascist nazi islamic style

    Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State
    http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/islamic_state.htm
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 7:23 AM EDT
    klcc twin towers kuala lumpur were evacuated wednesday night???
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 7:10 AM EDT
    IT IS TIME TO DEFEAT FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM ONCE AND FOR ALL%u2026

    In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, then U.S. ambassador to France, and John Adams, then American Ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the Dey%u2019s ambassador to Britain, in an attempt to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress%u2019 vote of funding. To Congress, these two future presidents later reported the reasons for the Muslims%u2019 hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.

    %u2026that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise.

    Sound familiar?

    Thomas Jefferson and James Madison defeated the fascist nazi muslims 200 years ago
    And again 100 years ago with Theodore Roosevelt
    Tunisia in 1881 by France and Libya in 1911 by Italy. By then most of the Islamic world was under Christian domination. With the Ottoman Empire defeated in WW1, secularist Turkish rebels in 1923 overthrew the last Islamic Caliphate,
    http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?6bdec278-6a71-4436-bc4d-29d1c54b0ad7
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 6:55 AM EDT
    the war is legal

    the resumption of hostilities was only a matter of time since iraq broke the ceasefire agreement.....

    blame saddam for iraq%u2026%u2026. Even clintoon and the dems wanted the resumption of hostilities back in 1998

    "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

    "Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

    Moreover, no international law can prevent the United States from taking actions to protect its vital interests, when it is manifestly clear that there is a choice to be made between law and survival. I believe, however, that such a choice is not presented in the case of Iraq. Indeed, should we decide to proceed, that action can be justified within the framework of international law rather than outside it. In fact, though a new UN resolution may be helpful in building international consensus, the existing resolutions from 1991 are sufficient from a legal standpoint. - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
    http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/gore/gore092302sp.html
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 6:49 AM EDT
    it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid.

    non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

    Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
    http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 6:03 AM EDT
    It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry

    USA's PLEDGE 2 THE WORLD GIVEN BY JFK!!

    "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961

    "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1961

    One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Winston Churchill

    "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." Albert Einstein

    Edmund Burke: All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.
    Reply to this comment
    by grazinggoat August 3, 2007 3:59 AM EDT
    Blast Kills At Least 13; Gates: We Underestimated Iraqis' Mistrust Of Each Other

    -Gates was saying: we knew how divided Iraqis are but we're agreably delighted they are even worth then we expected (hence his cretin's smile). So now we can split Iraq into three pieces or four with the green zone (like the Botswana in the Middle of Zimbabwe, lol!), under our Control. Way to go Cretin...
    Reply to this comment
    by mh4cbs1 August 3, 2007 3:28 AM EDT
    We will end up spending ONE TRILLION DOLLARS on the needless, horrific War On Iraq.

    Meanwhile our jobs our outsourced, our infrastructure is decaying, our planet is heating up, we give massive tax cuts to the filthy rich. McMansions and strip malls are replacing farmland at an alarming rate all around our cities.

    We need a citizens revolutions to stop our corporate-owned politicians from running our country into the ground. Bush is leading the charge, but the spineless corporate-owned Democrats are completely complicit and do NOTHING to stop it.

    VOTE GREEN PARTY (at least you can sleep at night knowing you voted for new vision for America)
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 August 3, 2007 2:45 AM EDT
    NOW CAN WE KILL THEM???
    If they can kill us, we can kill them

    Qaeda warns of attacks 'worse than 9/11'
    http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070530102648.wuwa6k96&show_article=1

    Hizbullah Deputy Sec-Gen Sheikh Naim Qassem: We Have Jurisprudent Permission to Carry Out 'Martyrdom' Operations, Fire Missiles on Israeli Civilians From Ayatollah Khomeini
    http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD154907

    Switching Sides: Inside The Enemy Camp

    But then in 2000, well before his arrest, something happened which would make Abas question everything he believed in: a fatwa, a religious edict, was issued by Osama bin Laden.

    "It should be understood that killing Americans and Jews anywhere found are the highest act of worship and the highest form of good deeds in the eyes of Allah," Simon quotes bin Laden.

    Abas and his fellow commanders were ordered to read the fatwa to their men and make sure they carried it out. The others obeyed, but Abas refused. It was his moment of truth. He firmly believed that jihad was to be fought only on the battlefield in defense of Islam; he had always been taught that the killing of civilians had nothing to do with holy war and that it was forbidden.

    The fatwa justified killing non-Muslim civilians everywhere.
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/04/60minutes/main2761108.shtml?source=RSSattr=60Minutes_2761108
    American Al Qaeda Member Threatens Attack
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/29/terror/main2865282.shtml
    Reply to this comment
    by randalds August 3, 2007 1:22 AM EDT
    "I'm not too sure about you, but if someone - anyone - invaded my country and raided my house, abused my family, destroyed my furniture and desecrated my
    belongings, or killed my family members, I wouldn't be too happy - and I would fight back."
    Posted by mcdazz at 08:24 PM : Aug 02, 2007

    me2.
    Count this old-but-not-so-useless-paratrooper in!
    Posted by Simplemind2 at 08:35 PM : Aug 02, 2007

    Been awhile since I've handled an M16, but I have my trusty Remington 870 shotgun and know how to use it, so I'm in.
    Reply to this comment
    by huanaco August 3, 2007 1:19 AM EDT
    OSAMA BIN LADEN SAID IT " WE ARE GOING TO EMPTY YOUR COFFERS UNTIL YOU ARE BROKE " . THE BILLIONS SPENT IN THIS PHONY WAR ARE MAKING THIS PREDICTION COMES TRUE.
    Reply to this comment
    by huanaco August 3, 2007 1:16 AM EDT
    GENTLEMEN : NO LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. IMPEACH THE SUCKER.
    Reply to this comment
    by feelfree1 August 2, 2007 11:50 PM EDT
    mcdazz,

    Re: "I wouldn't be too happy - and I would fight back."

    The Iraqis obviously have every right to defend themselves. I would certainly use any and all means to resist those who would attack my friends, family, and country in a similar way.

    The way that things are going, we may well have the opportunity.
    Reply to this comment
    by August 2, 2007 11:24 PM EDT
    I've been doing quite a bit of reading recently, books by soldiers who have served in Iraq.

    Some of these books detail horrendous crimes against Iraqi civilians - including the murder of children as young as 10, the murder of Iraqi adults (men and women), the beating of civilians (men, women and children), in many cases for no other reasons except they were Iraqis, looting, stealing money and jewelery from Iraqis as well as causing unnecessary destruction while conducting house searches - house searches that revealed nothing.

    At one point, soldiers played soccer with the decapitated heads of Iraqis.

    These crimes against Iraqis began occurring shortly after the invasion of Iraq - prior to any resistance that formed to fight back against the American "occupiers".

    These are crimes that we don't want to hear about - that we don't think could be committed by decent Americans - but they did happen, and they continue to happen.

    Bush through his lies and deception has turned good, honest Americans into murderers, rapists, thieves and criminals.

    I'm not too sure about you, but if someone - anyone - invaded my country and raided my house, abused my family, destroyed my furniture and desecrated my belongings, or killed my family members, I wouldn't be too happy - and I would fight back.

    Bush has done enough damage in Iraq.
    Reply to this comment
    by feelfree1 August 2, 2007 9:52 PM EDT

    Our troops should refuse to take part in the illegal, disgraceful, and self-defeating war. We need tham home ASAP, so that we can concentrate on detaining and trying those responsible for sending them on an illegal fool's errand.

    The people of the U.S. must demand an immediate end to this disgrace, or risk complicity.

    www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow
    Reply to this comment
    by seven-pesos August 2, 2007 8:58 PM EDT
    southerners hope to elect another faith professing, conservative republican.

    the south hopes to win the all time loser's award.

    jefferson davis lost his war...
    johnson lost his war...
    bush will lose his war...

    if the south can lose just one more war,

    they will beat the french for most wars lost, ever!

    ha,ha,ha.

    those idiot southern republican christian creeps ought to stay in church and out of politics

    the south can't be depended upon to do the right thing for america.
    Reply to this comment
    by pastdue1 August 2, 2007 8:47 PM EDT
    "In some ways we probably all underestimated the depth of the mistrust and how difficult it would be for these guys to come together on legislation," Gates said."
    This entire debaucle has been one underestimation after another. Underestimated the welcome, underestimated the desire for democracy, underestimated the sectarianism, , underestimated the money. The only thing that has been overestimated is their ability to deal with the ramifications of all the underestimations.Does this administration never learn from mistakes" Do the people who support this, not recognize that whatever we try any more will be but another underestimation.
    Reply to this comment
    by pastdue1 August 2, 2007 8:36 PM EDT
    Everyday, it is 3 more, 5 more, 7 more, but even 1 is too many. It is time, past time, for all those people who believe that we have to stay in Iraq , to make sure that it is one of their own who is over there as part of the armed services. I refuse to take anyone seriously who claims that we must be in Iraq if they are not there themselves, or do not have a son or a daughter there, or do not have a grandson or a granddaughter there. I would not wish this on any person, parent, or grandparent, but for anyone to think that someone else must continue to pay the price for what they want is below respect.
    Reply to this comment
    by hungry1968 August 2, 2007 8:08 PM EDT
    With more than $3 billion a week spent for the invasion in IRAQ, there is no telling exactly how much tax-payers hard-earned tax money been pickpocketed, embezzled and/or kickback through Haliburton, KRB Corps been awarded Billions
    after Billions so-called no-bid contracts and only wind up in those three's personal bank accounts.
    Posted by Simplemind2 at 04:09 PM : Aug 02, 2007


    At least $4 Billion of it:

    http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Waxman_grills_exUS_leader_in_Iraq_0206.html
    Reply to this comment
    See all 102 Comments

    • Exclusive Webshow

    Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie." Watch Now

    Latest News
    News in Pictures
    Scroll Left Scroll Right
    Connect with CBS News

    Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: