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| Iraq |
| US soldier killed in police attack in Iraq |
| 2009-02-24 |
| Two Iraqi policemen opened fire Tuesday during a U.S. military inspection visit in northern Iraq, killing one American soldier and an interpreter in an attack that deepened worries of possible infiltration of security forces battling insurgents in their last major base. The shooting at a police outpost in Mosul wounded three other U.S. soldiers. It was the fourth attack in the region since late 2007 with suspected links to Iraqi security units, which have struggled to uproot al-Qaida from strongholds in Iraq's third-largest city. Any serious breaches in the Iraqi force could be a particular blow in the Mosul region — where the U.S. military is light and commanders have been generally unable to spawn the type of tribal militia uprisings that helped break insurgent control in other areas of Iraq. The U.S. military said one interpreter was killed in a small-arms attack and a soldier died later of wounds. Three other soldiers and another Iraqi interpreter were wounded. The military statement gave no other details, saying the attack was under investigation. The two policemen began shooting as the Americans toured an Iraqi police unit guarding a key bridge in Mosul, about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saeed al-Jubouri said. The attackers then fled in a car from the headquarters, a collection of concrete towers and bunkers. Al-Jubouri denied reports that the gunmen could have been insurgents dressed in police uniforms — a tactic used before in suicide bombings and attacks. He identified them as a sergeant major and rank-and-file officer from Shura, a village about 25 miles south of Mosul. Iraqi troops were sent to the village, but there was no immediate report the suspects had been located. "Absolutely these were policeman," al-Jubouri told The Associated Press. |
| Posted by:ed |