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| Iraq |
| Blast Near Former Insurgent Stronghold Kills 3 Americans |
| 2009-05-26 |
| BAGHDAD — An American soldier, a State Department employee and an American civilian working for the Department of Defense were all killed Monday afternoon when the vehicle they were riding in was struck by a roadside bomb as it traveled through the city of Falluja west of Baghdad, American officials said Tuesday. Two civilians working for the Department of Defense were wounded in the attack, according to the officials. The incident took place just three miles from the bridge where in March of 2004, four American contractors were killed – their bodies burned and mutilated and dragged through the street in front of frenzied mobs. The image of two of the workers’ charred bodies strung up from the bridge spurred calls for action from Americans at home and was a major factor in the American military’s decision to launch the first major offensive against the city several months later. It would take four often bloody years and another major assault, but when the Marines finally prepared to leave their sprawling base on the outskirts of the city in December, the military expressed high hopes that the pacification of the former heart of the insurgency would demonstrate that the security gains would hold even as the American role was reduced. While the situation in Falluja remains more stable than it had been when the contractors were killed in 2004, there is concern expressed by both political leaders and tribal leaders that if the Sunni insurgents who later reconciled with the Americans are not made to feel like they have a place in the central government, they will once again turn to violence. Christopher R. Hill, the newly appointed Ambassador to Iraq, responded swiftly to the Monday killings, issuing a statement condemning the attack. “We and all who are working for a brighter future for Iraq condemn this terrible attack in the strongest possible terms,” he said. “We remain committed as ever to helping Iraqis achieve the peace, stability and prosperity that will make such acts of terror a thing of the past.” The Americans were driving along a road used mainly by the military when their car was struck by an improvised explosive device, according to local Iraqi security officials.Another attack on an convoy of contractors in Falluja took place a week ago by assailants with grenades but no on ewas killed, according to the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The attack on Monday took place as the Americans were returning from an inspection of a wastewater treatment plant under construction in Falluja, which Ambassador Hill said was the largest and most complex U.S. government funded project in Anbar province. Terrence Barnich, who worked at the United States Embassy in Baghdad as the deputy director of the Iraq Transition Assistance, was one of those killed in the attack. A resident of Chicago, Mr. Barnich was hired for the job in January 2007, according to State Department officials. The names of the civilian working for the defense department and the American soldier were being withheld pending notification of relatives. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #1 Duty Honour Country. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-05-26 23:02 |