BAGHDAD, April 22, 2008
Suicide Blast In Iraq Kills 2 Marines
Pair Die In Ramadi Explosion; Third Marine Dies In Basra Roadside Bombing
-
Photo
(CBS/AP)
-
Interactive
Battle For Iraq
The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
-
Interactive
Iraq: 5 Years At War
Five years after the U.S.-led invasion, the war wears on.
A statement says the attacker detonated an explosives-laden car at an entry control point in the vicinity of Ramadi.
The military says Tuesday's blast also wounded three other Multi-National Force - West Marines, along with two Iraqi police officers and 24 local residents.
The city west of Baghdad is the capital of the former Sunni insurgent stronghold of Anbar province. It has been relatively peaceful since local tribal leaders joined forces with the U.S. military against al Qaeda in Iraq.
Also Tuesday, the U.S. military said a Marine was killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq's southern port city of Basra. A statement said another Marine was injured in the attack on Monday. The statement released Tuesday gave no further details.
AP Television News footage from Basra on Monday showed thick smoke rising from a military vehicle burning on a highway overpass. U.S. and British forces have been active in support of Iraqi troops cracking down on Shiite militias and criminal gangs in Iraq's oil capital. The campaign has been going on for nearly a month.
In other developments:
aggressive behavior among children who have grown up amid real war,
a lawmaker said Tuesday. "The culture of violence has prevailed in our society and controlled the Iraqi family and that it has affected the culture of children," said Samira al-Moussawi, head of the parliamentary committee on children and women, which is preparing the
legislation.
Meanwhile, an unmanned drone killed two gunmen in Baghdad's embattled Sadr City district, while another remote-controlled aircraft crashed south of the capital, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
In Kuwait, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged neighboring countries to help dry up "the springs of terrorism" by preventing militants from obtaining weapons and financing from abroad. He was attending a meeting of Iraq's neighbors and other nations aimed at helping the government restore stability in Iraq.
There has been a sharp increase in violence in the country since al-Maliki launched an offensive against Shiite militias in Basra nearly a month ago. The fighting quickly spread to Sadr City, one of the strongholds of the Mahdi Army militia of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, to which U.S. and Iraqi forces have laid siege.
Militiamen also have responded by repeatedly shelling Baghdad's U.S.-protected Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and offices of the Iraqi government.
Last weekend, al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, threatened to declare full-scale war on the U.S.-backed government if attacks on his followers continue. And on Monday, top Sadrists warned that open warfare was a "strong possibility" if the government did not ease the pressure on the Mahdi militia.
U.S. Apache attack helicopters and armed Predator drones have been launching daily strikes against militiamen clashing with Iraqi and U.S. troops in Sadr City, a sprawling district of 2.5 million people.
A military statement said that a drone spotted two gunmen with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher late Monday and engaged them with a Hellfire missile. Both men were killed.
In another firefight in Sadr City, U.S. troops were hit by a roadside bomb and then attacked with small-arms fire. Troops returned fire and killed three attackers, a statement said.
But near Iskandariyah, a town 30 miles south of Baghdad, a Shadow reconnaissance drone crashed early Tuesday, local police said. The U.S. military said it was investigating the cause of the crash.
Unlike the much larger Predator, the Shadow is an unarmed lightweight craft equipped with a camera capable of producing color video in daylight and thermal images at night, which it conveys back to controllers on the ground.
April has been a bad month for the drones, which are routinely used to monitor strife-torn areas of the country. Earlier in the month, two Predators crashed in different parts of Iraq and one was lost in Afghanistan. All are believed to have suffered mechanical failure, since insurgents in both countries lack even rudimentary anti-aircraft weapons.
In Kuwait, al-Maliki tried to persuade Arab states that his country has "passed the crisis" and is much better off than it was a year ago.
Al-Maliki told delegates at the conference's opening Tuesday that Iraq "has entered a new phase" and has "prevailed over factional disputes."
He urged neighboring countries "to exert more efforts to enhance security procedures on the borders in order to prevent terrorists from infiltrating into our lands."
"We also call for drying up the springs of terrorism and its sources of finance," he said.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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
- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
See all 102 CommentsBushie, you''ve done a heckuva job.
And thanks to all who voted for him.
Nancy_naive ..lets roll!! in defense of ISRAEL lets roll............
Posted by underdogus at 12:44 PM : Apr 22, 2008
Not quite.More the dismantling of the post war world order for now.
------------------------------------
Typical LIB answer
OF A BUSH SUPPORTER . . .
HIBERNATED SIX MONTHS FOR WARM WEATHER
SO HE COULD FLY INTO MY REFRIGERATOR.
------------
Typical LIB answer
Posted by JERSupporter at 01:48 PM : Apr 22, 2008
------------
Funny how we never see your ilk signing up to go fight your Holy Jihad against Evil Islam. You only want to send other people''''s kids to die for your religious psychoticism.
At least the Islamic Jihadists fight their own battles. You Freakvannies want to send someone else to fight in your stead.
Posted by FloydZepp
Funny that you ilk, FloydZepp, never volunteer for anything other than spitting on troops as they come home from wars. You sit here and enjoy the freedoms they provide yet only have negative comments. Try doing YOUR part for a change and maybe then your comments will have some weight. And YES I did serve my country thank you very much!
Posted by j-whitman
Really? Hmmm. Seems that Al Qaeda is running through a LOT of cash and jihadists in Iraq and not America. Did you happen to catch Al-Zawahri telling jihadists to gather all the cash they can collect when heading to the wars? Sounds like they are exhausting resources and not winning. Seems it actually DOES have something to do with peace in the US.
Maliki is blaming the Arab nations for not supporting their efforts & he''s right. Arab nations still support Sunni insurgents & funnel materials & momey through Dubai.
Our envolvement in Iraq has only made Middle East Peace harder to achieve in the Middle East & gave the Arab World more reason not to support the USA in our endevours.. ---- It made this country less safe
Maliki is blaming the Arab nations for not supporting their efforts & he''''s right. Arab nations still support Sunni insurgents & funnel materials & momey through Dubai.
Our envolvement in Iraq has only made Middle East Peace harder to achieve in the Middle East & gave the Arab World more reason not to support the USA in our endevours.. ---- It made this country less safe
Posted by j-whitman
Well, I think facts actually support my statement much better. First, if the US is less safe, where are the attacks on US soil in the last 5 years? Second, my point was that Al Qaeda is now making open statements about Jihad being about the cash. Without it they can''t continue their jihad. Al-Zawahri clearly indicated that they need cash. You think they have more resources than we do? DOUBT IT! I was simply refuting your claim that Iraq had nothing to do with peace in the US. You have yet to contradict any point I have made. First, with Al Qaeda fighting in Iraq, does that not leave fewer jihadist to send to the US? Second, the same applies to their cash, weapons and other resources. They are focusing them on Iraq, NOT US SOIL!
Jenna can put off her wedding and go fight her daddy''s war. If that happened, this thing would be over pronto....Aren''t you tired of the poor kids fighting the rich man''s profitable war. Here at home too, we can do our part..ration gas and save it for the war effort, buy U. S. Bonds, forget about making money profiteers and pitch in. Oil companies..give free oil for our troops and put profits aside to win the war! Come on ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips, Shell....Our president says we''re fighting for our way of life here. Where''s your patriotism?
Put your effort behind the War and not behind a flag lapel pin.
Let''s Roll!!!!
(This is just a joke, it would never happen in this greedy, hypocritical, stock market driven country)
Now... just go to Home Depot, WalMart or the Mall and carry on the good NEW American way! And be sure and get your CELL phone, Ipod, PDA and Blackberry..you wouldn''t want to miss something.
------------------------------
j-whitman - you have some serious reading problems? Where did you get that from - THANK YOU TO ALL THE BRAVE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO SACRIFICE SO THAT WE MAY LIVE IN PEACE AND FREEDOM. Posted by mbcsmith
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by j-whitman at 02:35 PM : Apr 22, 2008
TELL IT TO AL-QUAEDA. YOU REMEMBER, THE ONE''S WHO ATTACKED US ON 9/11/01.
----------------------
What does that have to do with someone stating their thanks to our troops? Again, your political views are your right just as someone else thanking our troops.
But don''t for one minute think it has something to do with making our country safer.
Posted by j-whitman at 03:10 PM : Apr 22, 2008
j-whitman,,,,,Dont be fool. Every extremist regimes had something to do with 9/11.
signed BaghdadsHere
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by j-whitman at 03:10 PM : Apr 22, 2008
WHAT''S YOUR POINT. AL-QUAEDA IS THERE NOW. SURRENDER IS NOT AN OPTION.
Posted by mbcsmith at 03:32 PM : Apr 22, 2008
Correction - "al Qaeda in Iraq" is in Iraq, al Qaeda IS NOT.
There is a difference, and they are NOT affiliated with each other.
There is a difference, and they are NOT affiliated with each other.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by hungry1968 at 03:37 PM : Apr 22, 2008
+ report abuse
Now you''ve done it!! You''ve short circuited the brain of a NEO NAZI Bootlicker... they are NOT safe when you do that!! ROFLMAO I just don''t get people like this guy. They are fed LIE after LIE after LIE and they just keep coming out repeating the trash put out by that God Awlful piece of human trash, Bush. Go figure!! Sieg Heil Bush
Don''t you get tired of showing the world your stupidity ??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by thepentangle at 03:15 PM : Apr 22, 2008
+ report abuse
Yep and that ain''t good. They didn''t even do that during Vietnam... well not the really violent ones anyway. Kids who got in trouble like stealing a car for a saturday night ride... those kinds of things. When you start to water down the Marine Corps though that''s BIG time trouble... BIG TIME! Sieg Heil Bush
This sounds like Bush. Our economy is collapsing, gas prices are through the roof, were at war with no way out, our health care system is completely shot, and where''s President Bush while all this is going on?
On "Deal or No Deal".
I''m embarrassed to be an American citizen under this president.
But don''''t for one minute think it has something to do with making our country safer. Posted by j-whitman
-------------------------------
I laughed so hard at that carzy comment. You are truly funny. For one - I am not in politics; number two - showing support for troops is not killing those troops. That is the most idiotic statement you have made on this board (at least that I have seen). But there is no reason to discuss this with someone so far off base. Continue your classic tirades.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by j-whitman at 03:43 PM : Apr 22, 2008
+ report abuse
LOL For some reason his VERY small brain can''t compute the fact that the people who attacked us, the guy who decared war on us, IS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY... Completely rebuilt. Now how can you surrender when you aren''t even engaged with the Enemy?? I just can''t figure these people out.. it''s like IF they admit Bush was WRONG.. admit his POLICY was wrong they are surrendering. LOL Bush IS NOT America and DOES NOT represent the PEOPLE of America. He''s a fraud plain and simple... a Disgusting little Nazi who LIED us into a war. Sieg Heil Bush
-------------------------
And we are embarrased to have you also. We agree.
Posted by MCVet at 03:43 PM : Apr 22, 2008
A lot of these guys their accepting now are drug dealers, drug users, high school drop outs, alcoholics, and some have even been convicted of VIOLENT offenses!!
How can you take someone with a history of violence, and put him in combat with someone like a SGT yelling at him? Isn''t that just DARING him to frag the guy?!?!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by underdogus at 03:46 PM : Apr 22, 2008
+ report abuse
LOL Why don''t you freaks leave... there are so many fewer of you than us!! ROFLMAO I think that''s why they call it a democracy you fascist bootlicker... IF we don''t like the guy running the show or as in this case he''s embarrassing us, we VOTE him AND his party OUT. No need to move then huh??? Sieg Heil Bush
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by JERSupporter at 03:45 PM : Apr 22, 2008
+ report abuse
How so?? I have been there sparky and those who send those troops off to die based on BALDED FACE LIES are NOT supporting them. Now stand and let the fuhrere know you support him... sing it out!! Sieg Heil Bush!!
--------------------------------
Sparky - Vietnam is way over. But yet that is always your resort to comment. LOL. Mother Suckkin Vietnam. LMAO. What a dufus tool. ROFLMAO.
Posted by underdogus at 03:46 PM : Apr 22, 2008
Why don''t you move to the mid east - that''s all you fascists seem to care about anyway!!
The neo con mantra: "F*** America!! It''s all about Iraq, Israel, Iran...."
And then while they''re destroying America, I''m told to leave?!?!
How sad.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
See all 102 Comments