Iraqi resistance attacks; one American killed; plane survives ground-to-air missile
Iraq-USA, Military, 7/17/2003

The Iraqi national resistance yesterday intensified attacks on the anniversary of Saddam Hussein's coming to power in the country. A series of operations were carried out resulted in killing one American soldier and wounding 7. This was despite the intensive security measures taken by the occupation forces which fear also today large attacks, as today, July 17, marks the Iraqi Baath party assuming power in Iraq.

Meantime, A US military spokesman announced that the American Hercules C-130 was exposed yesterday to ground-to-air missile upon landing at Baghdad's airport in the first operation of its kind in Iraq since the end of the war. The spokesman said the missile missed its objective.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi daily al-Sa'a ( the hour ) said yesterday that the US administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, issued a decision banning Iraqi courts from considering any case against the occupation forces.

The paper explained that Bremer considered any Iraqi court as not authorized to sentence any member of the coalition forces. It added that these courts have no authorization in any civilian or criminal case.

Meantime, in a statement, the US central leadership announced that one American soldier was killed and other three injured when an American procession was attacked on the highway near Abu Gharib prison, west Baghdad.

The attack is the third to the west of Baghdad, in less than 12 hours, according to witnesses.

At the site of the incident, a US soldier said following the attack against the convoy which included 30 military vehicles that a "7 ton truck was blown up and we saw smoke coming out of it." An American officer said that a burnt American military car was booby trapped on the road near Abu Gharib prison in such a way that it would blow up when the convoy runs by.

By the killing of the American soldier, the number of US soldiers killed since the beginning of the attack against Iraq becomes 147. The same number the US had lost in the Gulf war in 1991.

Eye witnesses said that unidentified persons opened fire from anti- tank RPJ shoulder weapons against an American armored vehicle on the road to Faluja.

In another attack on the downtown of Baghdad, witnesses said that two American soldiers and five Iraqis including one child were injured when unidentified person fired a mortar from a car at an American armored vehicle which was guarding a branch of al-Rasheed Bank in al-Mansour quarters. All these attacks, however, came to mark Saddam Hussein's assuming power in Iraq in 1979 as well as on the wake of the Baathists assuming power in Iraq in 1968 which coincides July 17.

On the other hand, the American army said that one American soldier died after he fell down from a building while guarding a building in al-Hella town, 100 Km to the south of Baghdad.

On the other hand, the occupation army announced that the mayor of the Iraqi city of Hadeitha, Muhammad Nael Assaf ( 60 year old), and his son were killed yesterday by unidentified persons while they were in their car. The army explained that Assaf, a supporter to the Americans, was with his son, coming back home and stopped at a crossroad in the city when they were exposed to a group of attackers. The American army added that the attackers were able to flee.

For the first time since the collapse of the Iraqi regime, the "Faluja people league" condemned the "toppled dictatorship rule" led by Saddam Hussein, but simultaneously announced rejections to the ethnic and sectarian bases on the ground of which the Iraqi provisional rule council was formed and called "on the people of Iraq and their leadership not to perpetuate the conspiracy of dividing Iraq."

Meantime, scores demonstrated in front of the center of Baqouba city in protest of the American forces detention of one of its chieftains under the pretext of Sheltering Saddam Hussein. The demonstrators called for releasing Sheikh Tuham Abed Muheimeid al-Obeidi, chanting "there is no God but God, the Americans are the enemy of God."

Previous Stories:
  Washington suspends Russian oil contracts with Saddam's regime   (7/16/2003)
  Washington extends presence of its forces in Iraq; New council spends time on war crimes   (7/16/2003)
  Three attacks on American forces in Baghdad   (7/15/2003)
  Explosions in al-Ramadi, redeployment in Falouja as US soldiers are killed, attack in Sameraa   (7/12/2003)

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