Four Iraqis Killed, U.S. Wounded Arrive in Germany
Mon November 3, 2003 08:51 AM ET
(Page 1 of 2)
By Dean Yates
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least four Iraqi civilians were killed in Iraq in the wake of the deadliest single strike on U.S. forces since they invaded to oust Saddam Hussein.
Guerrilla resistance is stiffening, in contrast to the rout of Iraq's regular army by U.S.-led forces seven months ago -- a defeat caused by Saddam's delusion the invasion was a mere feint, his former deputy prime minister was quoted as saying Monday.
Eighteen Americans died in guerrilla attacks in Iraq Sunday, including 15 soldiers killed when insurgents shot down their Chinook helicopter near the town of Falluja. A further 21 were wounded.
U.S. troops and Humvees guarded the wreckage Monday. Nearby, gleeful villagers from old men to children celebrated the shooting, calling it the perfect present to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The "Sunni triangle" region, where the helicopter was downed, is a hotbed of anti-U.S. anger.
"We usually celebrate Ramadan at the end of the month. Now we are celebrating in the beginning after these infidel Americans were shot down," said taxi driver Abdullah Hissein.
More U.S. helicopters clattered overhead. "Now we want to take them down as well," the driver said.
Earlier, 18 of the wounded soldiers arrived at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The military said some would be treated at the nearby Landstuhl Hospital.
The triumphal postwar glow in which President Bush taunted Iraqi militants with the challenge "bring them on" has faded to a grim determination against an more lethal resistance that has forced most foreign aid workers to leave.
Sunday was the second deadliest day for Americans in Iraq since the war started on March 20, after 28 soldiers were killed in various attacks on March 23. At least 250 U.S. soldiers have been killed by hostile fire since the invasion.
A mortar attack by unknown assailants in the northern town of Kirkuk late Sunday killed two people and wounded six. Residents said three bombs landed in a residential area where youths were gathering. A local doctor confirmed two had died.
Also Sunday, witnesses said an 11-year-old Iraqi boy was killed near Falluja after he was caught in a firefight between U.S. troops and insurgents. The boy was buried Monday by 400 Iraqi mourners.
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reuters.com
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