Wednesday, December 14, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Three U.S. service members have died in separate incidents in Iraq while insurgents targeted Iraqi security forces, authorities said Sunday.A roadside bomb killed two U.S. Marines during "combat operations" in Amiriya, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west-southwest of Baghdad, the Marines said.The military statement gave no details about the attack, which happened Saturday, the same day a U.S. soldier died in a vehicle accident near Rawa.Rawa is 140 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad in Anbar province, near the Syrian border. Since the Iraq war began, 2,068 U.S. service members have died, 39 in November.On Sunday, insurgents killed one civilian and wounded five Iraqi soldiers in two attacks. The civilian was killed when a roadside bomb missed an Iraqi police patrol in Baghdad, police said. The blast missed the police, who were in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Jadeeda.In Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, a roadside bomb wounded five Iraqi soldiers on morning patrol.Meanwhile, three bodies and one man who was in extremely critical condition were found late Saturday, police said. The men, who appeared to have been tortured and shot in the head, had their hands tied behind their backs and had been blindfolded. The four were found in the northwestern Baghdad neighborhood of Shula, police said.Another apparently tortured body was found in western Baghdad.Iraq: UK troops may leave in 2006British troops could leave Iraq by the end of 2006, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has told a TV news channel. "We don't want British forces forever in Iraq. Within one year -- I think at the end of 2006 -- Iraqi troops will be ready to replace British forces in the south," Talabani told ITV, which released details of the interview in advance of the broadcast.Britain has about 8,000 soldiers in Iraq, many of them in Basra, the country's second-largest city. London has said it will start to pull out its troops as soon as local forces think they can maintain security.Britain's top army general, Gen. Sir Mike Jackson, said Sunday that Talabani's timetable was "realistically possible" but warned against giving a firm date for a pullout. (Full story)U.S. doubts death of Hussein aideThe U.S. military Sunday discounted reports that a top Iraqi fugitive has died, saying the search for Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri remains active.Al-Douri is the highest-ranking lieutenant of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to remain at large more than two years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Arabic-language news network Al-Arabiya reported his death Friday, quoting what it said was a statement from the Baath Party that once ruled Iraq."Coalition officials question the validity of the Baath party claim, and a reward of up to $10 million remains for information leading to al-Douri's capture or his grave site," the U.S. command in Baghdad said in a written statement.The military said a Web site that claims to be associated with the Baath Party contradicted Friday's report and said al-Douri was still alive.Al-Douri was the vice chairman of Iraq's ruling council and No. 6 on the list of most-wanted members of Hussein's ousted government. He has long been reported to be in poor health, but previous reports of his death or capture have proven to be unfounded.The U.S. military says he has helped finance the insurgency but that his influence has waned while he has been in hiding. (Watch: Who is Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri? -- 1:30)Husayba protestAbout 500 residents of Husayba, site of a recent weeklong battle against insurgents, protested outside the U.S. military's main camp Sunday.U.S. Marine Capt. Rich Pitchford said he met with a 10-member makeshift city council and would update them about their requests at a Monday meeting. Residents were asking for permission to recover bodies and bury the dead -- as well as food and the restoration of essential services.Although the protest was peaceful, many residents were agitated and angry.One of the 10 leaders, who said he was the group's spokesman, said the residents will believe in U.S. forces if Pitchford's promises are fulfilled. Other demonstrators were more skeptical. One man said everything in the city was fine in the eight months before Operation Steel Curtain. Another asked why U.S. and Iraqi forces needed to level so many buildings."There are families that need help," said Karim Ayaj, an Arabic teacher at a Husayba school. "We have not had food supplies and rations for at least four months now." He believes the most important step would be to open the road between the Qaim region near the Syrian border, where Husayba is located, and Baghdad. About 28,000 people are living in palm groves and makeshift camps outside the city, he claimed.Resident Tamil el-Kubeysi was angry about the lack of food and water. "We are a rich country," he said. "We are the country of two rivers. We never would have even dreamed that we'd end up in a situation like this."U.S. and Iraqi forces, meanwhile, have set up two bases and have begun patrolling Husayba.Operation Steel Curtain was launched in Husayba on November 5 and has continued into the nearby city of Karabila. The offensive was aimed at wresting control of the area from insurgents and foreign fighters. Other developmentsJordan needs to crack down on money-laundering and insurgent traffic into Iraq after last week's hotel bombings in Amman, Deputy Iraqi Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi said Sunday. Jordanian authorities say the attacks were carried out by four Iraqis and orchestrated by the group al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Chalabi is a former exile who faces bank-fraud charges in Jordan. (Full story)United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan -- the latest top diplomat to visit Iraq -- called Saturday for Iraqis to reconcile. "This region, and particularly Iraq, has suffered too much from terrorist attacks," Annan said during his first visit to Iraq since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. (Full story) CNN's Arwa Damon and Enes Dulami contributed to this report.

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