| Moderator note: this story was originally posted by Reuters on Nov. 20, 2005. It's reproduced at Free Republic. If someone could post the source URL for the original Reuters story in the comments it would be very helpful. AoS. |
A roadside bomb that killed a US Marine in the restive town of Haditha on Saturday also killed 15 Iraqi civilians and led to intense clashes with insurgents. The powerful bomb detonated as a US military convoy was passing through the town, which is 220 kilometres north-west of Baghdad.
The US military says immediately after the blast, gunmen opened fire on the convoy. US and Iraqi soldiers returned fire, killing eight insurgents and wounding another in a firefight.
A cameraman working for Reuters in Haditha says bodies had been left lying in the street for hours after the attack. He says the town has been virtually shut down for the past two days as US and Iraqi forces try to impose order.
The casualties from Saturday's blast raised the death toll from attacks across Iraq over the past three days to at least 166. Sunni-led insurgents are stepping up their battle against US and Iraqi forces ahead of parliamentary elections in December. |