2 U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq

Servicemen Gunned Down In Northern Iraq By Man Wearing Iraqi Army Uniform

(AP)  Two American troops were killed Tuesday after a gunman in an Iraqi army uniform opened fire while they were distributing humanitarian aid in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.

It was the third such shooting in the Mosul area in less than a year purportedly involving Iraqi soldiers, raising concerns about infiltration of the Iraqi security forces in one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq.

The gunman opened fire from about 50-100 yards away and it was not immediately clear if he was an Iraqi soldier or an insurgent in disguise, a senior U.S. military official said.

The American servicemen and Iraqi soldiers were passing out blankets near Baaj, a mainly Sunni area near the Syrian border, about 75 miles southwest of Mosul, when the midday attack occurred, the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information ahead of a formal announcement.

The gunman appeared to be alone and fled the scene after the attack, the U.S. official said, adding that an investigation was under way.

An Iraqi police officer, who also declined to be identified for the same reason, said the attacker later surrendered to the Iraqi army, but that report could not be confirmed.

The attack occurred two weeks after an Iraqi soldier ambushed U.S. soldiers in a courtyard of an Iraqi military base in a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in Mosul, killing two Americans and wounding six before he died in the subsequent gunbattle.

Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, claimed that was a "premeditated" attack that occurred as the soldiers waited for their two lieutenants to finish a meeting with an Iraqi army company commander.

Iraqi officials said the Nov. 12 shooting followed a quarrel with the Iraqi soldier, but Hertling disputed that account.

Similar reports emerged after Tuesday's shooting, with the Iraqi policeman and a news report claiming an American serviceman had slapped a woman. But the U.S. military official said that report was false.

Last December, an Iraqi soldier also allegedly shot and killed a U.S. captain and a sergeant during a joint operation in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major offensive this spring to rout insurgents from Iraq's third-largest city, which American commanders at the time dubbed al Qaeda in Iraq's last urban stronghold.

The attack occurred on the eve of a vote on a U.S.-Iraqi security pact that would allow American forces to remain in Iraq through the end of 2011 under strict Iraqi guidelines. Proponents of the agreement argue the Iraqis are not yet ready to maintain security on their own.

[babooph]

The US propaganda system was told to sell"the surge worked" so the military can leave without "defeat"-those troops ,now dead may not have felt so victorious.The brbe $ paid to locals ,may have been what "worked" for a short time.

[whiskyrokr]

Were still in Iraq????????

[libsh8theusa]

"There ya go George--2 more notches on you bloody belt!"

Did George pull the trigger?

Did george force these people into our military?


Put the bame where it is due.. The cockroaches are the ones doing the killing..

[libsh8theusa]

ziaian So I guess your saying that Iraq was better off when Saddam was around..

You need to take a trip to Iraq.. and learn the FACTS.. Fact is that most Iraqi''s like American military to be there... first reason is security, secondly they like the improvements that the US has paid for in Iraq.. (power, water, schools, hospitals...) thirdly they like the jobs that the US has provided for Iraqi''s.. fourth thing is they like the hand outs and medical attention our military has provided. Fifth thing is they like the freedom they have, that they never knew while under Saddam..

Most of the killing that is being done is by cockroaches ( ewe call them insurgents.. I call them cockroaches) from other countries.. that are afraid of what freedom will bring in Iraq.. Allah forbid that women would get an education.. a job.. be able to not wear berka.. That thugs would have to answer to the police..

So ziaian keep supporting the cockroaches as we know you are one of them..

[ziaian]

AP:
"U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major offensive this spring to rout insurgents from Iraq''s third-largest city, which American commanders at the time dubbed al Qaeda in Iraq''s last urban stronghold."
Hello AP! This 3rd largest city has probably a name, doesn''t it?! Why not name it anywhere in the report? Is it Karbela, or Najaf or Basorah? In which case it can not be a stronghold of Al Qaida! (These cities are strongolds of Shi''a and pro-Iranians, and the fiercest AGAINST Al Qaida, and they can easily get the whole region rid of Al Qaida if let to do so by foreign forces)

[ziaian]

We, Americans, are NOT welcome in Iraq. How difficult is it to understand that NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD LIKES TO REMAIN OCCUPIED BY FOREIGN TROOPS.

[liberalme]

It''''s only the recent generation of naive, ignorant, soft, and weak-kneed liberals that has come up with the pathetic "unwinnable" concept. It''''s a repugnant and deplorable concept that should never be allowed to take root. America will be a better country when we have put that defeatist idea to bed.



Posted by michaelt3032 at 07:37 PM : Nov 25, 2008

What will we win?

[liberalme]

There ya go George--2 more notches on you bloody belt!

Just for living his military fantasies vicariously through our brave troops---the coward.

[tnswamper]

Once we commit our troops to harms%u2019 way we need to support them, their needs, and the needs of their families. If you disagree with the decisions that have placed our soldiers in battle, work to change the reasoning. I morn each casualty as if they were a brother or sister. In this time of Thanksgiving, extending solace toward the families is my primary concern

[armydog2]

More blood on the hands of bush and co. This is bush''s war and always will be. I hope the SOB burns in hell for all the death and destruction he has caused. Saddam will be burning right along with him.

[pirmin3]

At least, as a consolation the family can opt to have "Operation Iraqi Freedom" engraved on the headstone - at NO additional cost!! Sounds like a blue light special to me.

[earache4]

Who will be the last to die for a lie?

[hermitdave]

Gosh just what do you call a brave citizen of a country when he kills someone from the country that invaded his country. Isn''t it HERO?

[allzwell]

Posted by michaelt3032 at 07:37 PM : Nov 25, 2008

At what cost? Your son or daughter? Mine? What''s the objective besides winning? Is it worth dying for? Let''s inject a little reality into your beer muscled rhetoric. The War on "Terror" in Afghanistan was supported by almost everybody in this country. The War for Oil is where we ended up through lies and deciet. I prefer to choose my battles wisely, you should too.

[downsteamjim]

michaelt3032: Your opinion of liberals is hopelessly overrated.

[summarex]

michaelt3032

Why don''t you go to Jerusalem and jump off a tower in order to better demonstrate your subservience to your Israeli masters.

Words of truth spoken by a Roman Catholic!

[excoachken]

The real cost of a barrell of oil: 4136 Dead Young Americans !!!!!!!!!!

[hwy1702]

You GOPricks still think it''''s winnable?
by earache4 at 06:09 PM : Nov 25, 2008

earache4,
All wars are winnable unless your chicken sh-t. I assume you are.

[summarex]

Get your facts straight. The last incident had nothing to do with infiltration. It happened when some GI ******** slapped an Iraqi soldier in the face. Outside the gay friendly United States you don''t slap a man in the face and expect to live to tell about it.

[itgranny]

2 families are set to recieve the worst news in their lives. This is sad and terrible and my heart goes out to them.

They kept the war casualties pretty quiet in the run up to the election. Our kids were still getting hurt and dieing but it was like nobody wanted to be the one to say something. Almost like somebody passing gas in a fancy banquet hall. Everyone smells the foulness of it but no one wants to point out the obvious; that somebody did something gross and disgusting, something that was totally out of line and no matter how you view it, it stinks!