13 U.S. Marines confirmed kia as fighting spreads in Iraq
RAMADI, Iraq - Three days shy of the one-year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, intense combat spread to at least four more cities in Iraq Tuesday, killing at least 13 U.S. Marines.
Some of the fiercest fighting, witnessed by a Knight Ridder journalist, took place in Ramadi, where eight Marines from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment, were killed when a multipronged assault caught the Marines by surprise as they were conducting routine patrols on foot at about 9 a.m.
The attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades, mortar and assault rifles in what appeared to be a well-coordinated attack by at least four groups of fighters numbering between four and 15 members each.
Three other U.S. Marine companies were also ambushed in Ramadi. There was no word on their casualties.
By the end of the day, U.S. troops seemed to have taken control of most contested areas, but the fighting was far more extensive than at any time since Saddam Hussein fled Baghdad last April 9.
Battles also were reported in Nasiriyah, Kut and Karbala, cities that had been peaceful. Fighting continued in Baghdad's Sadr City, Fallujah and Amarah, as well as other cities.
The list of coalition members involved in the combat grew: In addition to Americans, troops from Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Ukraine and Poland were attacked.
No official death toll was released, but in addition to the U.S. Marines who died in Ramadi, at least five were killed in Fallujah, according to local officials. One Ukrainian soldier was reported killed in fighting in Kut, and two Polish soldiers died in battles in Karbala.
Iraqi deaths in fighting Monday and Tuesday appeared to number around 100, including 40 killed overnight in Sadr City, Baghdad's sprawling Shiite slum. Italian soldiers killed 15 Iraqis in fighting in Nasiriyah, and British troops killed 12 Iraqis in Amarah.
Two South Korean workers were reportedly kidnapped in southern Iraq. |
