DR, This mornings death count.
Roadside Bomb Kills Two GIs in Iraq
3 minutes ago
By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A roadside bomb killed at least two U.S. soldiers Saturday in Mosul, and many parents kept children away from classes in the capital after leaflets attributed to Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s party warned of a "Day of Resistance" against the U.S. occupation.
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However, there was no sign of a rumored wave of attacks the resistance was allegedly planning for Baghdad on Saturday. As the day progressed, traffic appeared to return to normal in the capital.
Insurgents were active elsewhere, attacking a U.S. convoy Saturday near Heet, 75 miles northwest of Baghdad, witnesses said. They said one man held up part of the wreckage from one vehicle and shouted "with our blood and souls, we sacrifice for you, Saddam." U.S. military spokesmen had no confirmation of the attack.
Other witnesses said an oil pipeline was on fire Saturday about 10 miles north of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, an area of widespread opposition to the U.S.-led occupation. Witnesses said they suspected sabotage because an explosion preceded the blaze.
Sabotage to pipelines and the decayed state of Iraq (news - web sites)'s infrastructure have slowed efforts to revive the country's giant oil industry, considered the key to rebuilding the economy.
The U.S. military said two U.S. soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were killed and two wounded in the roadside bombing in Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city. Identities were withheld pending notification of relatives.
Iraqi police Lt. Walid Hashim said the men were inside two civilian cars when the blast occurred. He rushed to the scene and saw that the drivers were dead while the two passengers were badly injured.
"They were cut all over by shrapnel (and) one was wounded in the abdomen and was moaning," Hashim said.
The two deaths would bring to 122 the number of American soldiers killed by hostile fire since President Bush (news - web sites) declared an end to hostile combat on May 1 when added to the total given by the Department of Defense (news - web sites) on Friday. A total of 114 U.S. soldiers were killed between the start of the war March 20 and the end of April.
Rumors swept Baghdad that bombings or other resistance action would strike the capital after a leaflet attributed to Saddam's ousted Baathist party declared Saturday a "Day of Resistance," and called for a three-day general strike.
Attacks against coalition forces escalated this week, starting with the Sunday missile barrage against the Al Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad. The following day, four near-simultaneous suicide bombings killed about three dozen people and injured about 200 in the capital, prompting the international Red Cross, the United Nations (news - web sites) and other organizations to withdraw foreign staff.
U.S. officials have blamed former Baath Party figures, foreign fighters and Islamic extremists for the upsurge.
Many shops in this city of five million people opened Saturday despite the resistance threat, but it appeared fewer Iraqis were willing to venture out in the morning. Traffic was noticeably lighter than usual, and merchants complained of fewer customers.
The impact on school attendance was more dramatic. Many parents kept their children at home Saturday, the first day of the Iraqi work week.
At a boys' secondary school, Al-Jawad, only 80 of 500 students showed up, deputy principal Abdel Karim al-Azzawi said. "Parents are worried about their children," al-Azzawi said.
Classes were canceled at the Al-Huda girls' elementary school after only 23 of 700 pupils reported for class, according to the principal, Sana Naji Abbas. More than half the teachers also stayed home, she said.
One teenage girl who did set out from home Saturday morning sounded a defiant note. "We heard that they want to bomb schools, but we weren't afraid," said Sabrin Talib, 17. "I came to school today."
Merchants selling food reported no major drop in business, but others did.
"People can stop shopping but they cannot stop buying food and this is the reason why I was not affected today," Amir Jawad, who runs the al-Zeytoun bakery in Baghdad's downtown Irkheita market, said.
However, Samir Saj, who owns a stationary and school material store, said there was very little business. And the owner of an electronics store, Assad Karim, said he had not sold any satellite dishes or electrical equipment all day. "Usually I should have sold several pieces by (midday)," he said.
Security was stepped up in the capital, and police checkpoints caused traffic jams. Many motorists were ordered to stop for inspections by policemen.
"I went out as usual and sent my children to school," Karima Dawth said. "Warnings by Baathists do not terrify us."
There was no sign of any strike action in Basra and Mosul, the second and third largest cities. Witnesses reported that most shops were open and traffic appeared normal.
The "Day of Resistance" threat prompted some Western governments to issue warnings to their citizens here. The Australian government warned of "a credible imminent threat" to the area around the Al Hamra Hotel in central Baghdad.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lyndall Sachs, in Canberra, said staffers from the Australian government's mission in Baghdad have been "temporarily relocated to safer accommodations while we assess the threat further."
The U.S. State Department advised Americans to be vigilant. |
