Post by Salem6 on Dec 1, 2003 7:20:10 GMT
The US military has reported killing 46 militants and wounding 18 in clashes in the central Iraqi city of Samarra.
Five US soldiers and a civilian were wounded in the fighting which raged as militants made a series of attacks on convoys in the city on Sunday.
The US says it faced uniformed pro-Saddam militants
The engagement is the biggest clash involving US troops since the fall of Baghdad in April.
South Korea and Spain have both said their troops will remain in Iraq, despite losses in weekend ambushes.
WEEKEND OF AMBUSHES
Seven Spanish agents killed and one wounded near Hilla
Two Japanese diplomats and their Iraqi driver killed near Tikrit
Two US soldiers killed near the Syrian border
One Colombian contractor killed and two wounded near Balad
Two South Korean electricians killed near Tikrit
Three ambushes foiled by US troops in Samarra
US spokesman Lieutenant Colonel William MacDonald said that the US forces had fought back with tank fire when they were attacked three times by militants wearing uniforms of the pro-Saddam Fedayeen fighters.
Bradley fighting vehicles responded with 120mm tank rounds and 25mm cannon fire, destroying three buildings in the city, he said.
"We're sending a clear message that anyone who attempts to attack our convoys will pay the price," the spokesman said.
Samarra is within the so-called "Sunni triangle" north of Baghdad - the heartland of Saddam Hussein loyalists.
'Rooftops and alleys'
Two logistical convoys were moving into Samarra when they came under attack from roadside bombs, small arms, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, he said.
The Samarra battle followed a wave of ambushes on "soft targets"
The attacks - one on the east side of the city, the other on the west - were simultaneous and appeared to be coordinated.
In one of the ambushes, militants had barricaded off the road and opened fire from rooftop positions and out of alleyways.
About an hour after the initial ambushes, four militants in a car attacked another US convoy in Samarra.
All four were wounded and captured in the clash and Kalashnikov rifles recovered from the black BMW.
None of the US soldiers was seriously hurt, the US spokesman said
"This is the largest [ambush] for our task force since we've been in the area," Colonel MacDonald added.
Frightened witnesses in Samarra told a correspondent for the French news agency AFP who managed to enter the city that US forces had repeatedly come under attack on Sunday.
However, they added that, in the aftermath of one attack at about 1255 (0955 GMT), an American tank had opened fire on workers leaving a factory at the end of their shift, killing two and wounding "many".
Bloody weekend
South Korea, Spain and Japan have all vowed not to surrender to "terrorism" after weekend attacks on their citizens in Iraq.
Seven Spanish intelligence agents were killed in an ambush on Saturday and two Japanese diplomats died in a separate attack.
The attack on the Spanish agents caused particular revulsion in Spain where images of Iraqis celebrating at the site of the killings were shown widely.
Two South Korean workers and a Colombian contractor were also killed in separate attacks and two US soldiers died in an attack near the Syrian border.
Video:-
The BBC's Jo Floto "The Americans replied with every available weapon, including tanks"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39546000/rm/_39546982_iraq06_flotodtl_vi.ram
Lieutenant Colonel William MacDonald "Many of the dead attackers were found wearing Fedayeen uniforms"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39546000/rm/_39546636_iraq_statement_vi.ram
Five US soldiers and a civilian were wounded in the fighting which raged as militants made a series of attacks on convoys in the city on Sunday.
The US says it faced uniformed pro-Saddam militants
The engagement is the biggest clash involving US troops since the fall of Baghdad in April.
South Korea and Spain have both said their troops will remain in Iraq, despite losses in weekend ambushes.
WEEKEND OF AMBUSHES
Seven Spanish agents killed and one wounded near Hilla
Two Japanese diplomats and their Iraqi driver killed near Tikrit
Two US soldiers killed near the Syrian border
One Colombian contractor killed and two wounded near Balad
Two South Korean electricians killed near Tikrit
Three ambushes foiled by US troops in Samarra
US spokesman Lieutenant Colonel William MacDonald said that the US forces had fought back with tank fire when they were attacked three times by militants wearing uniforms of the pro-Saddam Fedayeen fighters.
Bradley fighting vehicles responded with 120mm tank rounds and 25mm cannon fire, destroying three buildings in the city, he said.
"We're sending a clear message that anyone who attempts to attack our convoys will pay the price," the spokesman said.
Samarra is within the so-called "Sunni triangle" north of Baghdad - the heartland of Saddam Hussein loyalists.
'Rooftops and alleys'
Two logistical convoys were moving into Samarra when they came under attack from roadside bombs, small arms, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, he said.
The Samarra battle followed a wave of ambushes on "soft targets"
The attacks - one on the east side of the city, the other on the west - were simultaneous and appeared to be coordinated.
In one of the ambushes, militants had barricaded off the road and opened fire from rooftop positions and out of alleyways.
About an hour after the initial ambushes, four militants in a car attacked another US convoy in Samarra.
All four were wounded and captured in the clash and Kalashnikov rifles recovered from the black BMW.
None of the US soldiers was seriously hurt, the US spokesman said
"This is the largest [ambush] for our task force since we've been in the area," Colonel MacDonald added.
Frightened witnesses in Samarra told a correspondent for the French news agency AFP who managed to enter the city that US forces had repeatedly come under attack on Sunday.
However, they added that, in the aftermath of one attack at about 1255 (0955 GMT), an American tank had opened fire on workers leaving a factory at the end of their shift, killing two and wounding "many".
Bloody weekend
South Korea, Spain and Japan have all vowed not to surrender to "terrorism" after weekend attacks on their citizens in Iraq.
Seven Spanish intelligence agents were killed in an ambush on Saturday and two Japanese diplomats died in a separate attack.
The attack on the Spanish agents caused particular revulsion in Spain where images of Iraqis celebrating at the site of the killings were shown widely.
Two South Korean workers and a Colombian contractor were also killed in separate attacks and two US soldiers died in an attack near the Syrian border.
Video:-
The BBC's Jo Floto "The Americans replied with every available weapon, including tanks"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39546000/rm/_39546982_iraq06_flotodtl_vi.ram
Lieutenant Colonel William MacDonald "Many of the dead attackers were found wearing Fedayeen uniforms"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39546000/rm/_39546636_iraq_statement_vi.ram