Iraqi resistance increasing, American forces detain 366 Iraqis, two soldiers killed in Baghdad
Iraq-USA, Military, 6/18/2003

News reports coming from Iraq talked about the increasing number of Iraqi resistance operations in response to the violation of the American forces of houses and mosques and over not providing the basics of life needs of waters, electricity and salaries.

The central US leadership announced that one American soldier was killed in al-Taji area to the north of Baghdad, noting that so far 50 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the beginning of May.

Two Iraqis attacked by RPJ anti- tank shells a position for the American army in Falouja.

Meantime, scores of American soldiers broke into the heart of the capital Baghdad with their heavy guns and blocked several roads and inspected house after two explosions took place.

The US forces closed the streets with armored vehicles in a suburb close to Tigris river and to a complex for the Republican Guard which has been converted to a headquarters of the American administration in Iraq.

The American army announced that it found various types of weapons during the house-to-house inspection campaign, and that the American forces in Iraq arrested hundreds in a new operation to chase supporters for the former Iraqi regime.

In a statement, the US army added that by the fall of Monday evening the US forces arrested 156 Iraqis during 11 raids in Baghdad and arrested 215 in 36 raids around Takrit, Karkouk and al-Falouja which yesterday witnessed the most violent breaking-in operations.

On the other hand, the British daily ( the Times) said yesterday that the British forces may stay in Iraq for four years if attacks against the coalition forces continue.

The paper quoted sources close to the British defense office that Britain had deployed 17,000 troops in Iraq in order to stay between one and two years, but they might stay for a longer time that almost will be doubled in case attacks increase.

Meantime, Iraq's permanent representative department at the Arab League yesterday notified the AL general secretariat an official memorandum from the Iraqi official who supervised the foreign ministry in Iraq who was appointed by the American forces, that Iraq's representative to the AL Mohsin Khalil is dismissed.

The memorandum asked the AL to have its correspondents with the representative department in Cairo in the name of the charge de affairs Mohsin al-Bayati, the second man at the representation department.

AL sources said that Khalil refused to return back to Iraq and he is still in Cairo.

Meantime, a high ranking Iraqi official in oil industry said that Iraq's oil production is still almost 750,000 barrels of oil daily since May because of the continued looting operations and technical problems.

The same official expects Iraq to produce between one million to 1.2 million barrels of oil daily with by mid July, which is less than the officially targeted standard which is 1.5 million barrels of oil by the end of this June.

These statements, however, are in contradiction to expectations made by Thamer al-Ghasban who was appointed by the US to run oil affairs in that Iraq intends to produce 1.5 million barrels of oil daily by the end of this June.

Previous Stories:
  80 Iraqis killed by American forces in one day, a fire at a main oil pipeline in Iraq   (6/14/2003)
  Escalation with US forces in Iraq, US planes shot down   (6/13/2003)
  Some 45 American soldiers killed in Iraqi attacks post war   (6/12/2003)

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