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Suspected Insurgents Attack; Six Get Raisins
About 50 suspected insurgents attacked a U.S. base in the center of a city north of the capital Friday, sparking a battle with U.S. soldiers and helicopters that killed at least six militants, the Iraqi army said.They attacked the base, but the AP still calls them "suspected insurgents" The fighting took place in Baqouba, a Sunni insurgent stronghold that has seen a recent spike in violence largely blamed on militants who fled a 3-month-old security crackdown in Baghdad. Poor little insurgents! Forced out of Baghdad, were they? At 7 a.m. Friday, the day of rest in mostly Muslim Iraq, about 50 suspected insurgents Residents said the fighting sent smoke billowing up from neighborhoods in the area. One resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from militants, said he heard heavy machine gun fire and then men shouting "Allahu Akbar," or God is great in Arabic. Others said they saw U.S. tanks and armored vehicles driving through the street, while aircraft flew overhead. The base was set up two months ago in a three-story city office building that was abandoned because of the violence in the area, the Iraqi officer said. The U.S. military had no immediate comment on the incident. Posted by: Bobby 2007-05-18 |
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