Marines start today withdrawal from al-Falluja, 12 American soldiers killed
Iraq-USA, Politics, 4/30/2004

The American occupation forces in Baghdad and its suburbs were exposed in the past hours to strong strikes that resulted in killing 12 soldiers. The strongest of these operations was an attack by a booby trapped car in al-Mahmoudeyah to the south of Baghdad resulted in killing nine soldiers and wounding other 2.

Two other American soldiers were killed and another wounded in an attack by explosives that targeted one occupation vehicle in Baqouba to the north of Baghdad that resulted also in killing one Iraqi civilian. the American army also announced that one soldier was killed in an attack by a missile shelling to the east of Baghdad.

To the west of Baghdad, an attack by missile shelling resulted in burning one American truck. Several Iraqis gathered around the truck commended "long live" for the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader.

To the east of the capital Baghdad, one explosive went off inside a tunnel, meters from the UN complex which was targeted by last year's attack.

Three Iraqis from one family were killed on Wednesday evening and other five injured as one shell fell at a house in the Chinese area of Beji district to the north of Baghdad.

In other field developments, one citizen from South Africa was killed yesterday morning in al-Basra following opening fire at him from a car running in a high speed. News reports in Karkouk said that armed men opened fire at security men of the north oil company and this resulted in wounding four persons, one is in a grave situation.

With the escalation in the number of resistance operations, the American occupation forces sent more tanks and armored vehicles to Iraq including the besieged city of al-Falluja.

Operations director in the American central leadership Gen. John Sattler said that this step came as a response to the calls made by field leaders to get more forces in al-Falujja area and the other areas to the west of Baghdad as well as the first troops contingent in the surrounding of Tikrit city.

Sattler said that there are some 1500 resistance men in Falluja including former members in the former Republican guards forces and foreign fighters.

Also in Falluja, a field director in the Marines forces said that his forces will start withdrawal from the industrial area to the south of the city today ( Friday) to transfer power to an Iraqi force.

Another American army general explained that members of the first contingent of the fifth group of the American Marines forces will return back to their base outside Falluja after handing over the responsibility to the Iraqi police forces and civil defense.

At the political field, the French President Jacque Chirac called for a real return back of sovereignty in Iraq within the context of the UN. He said in a press conference that returning back sovereignty to the Iraqis has become an urgent matter now. The UN secretary general Kofi Annan had warned the occupation forces in Iraq from over use of force against civilians. Annan stressed that dealing toughly with the Iraqi people narrows the prospects of dialogue and expands the patch of armed resistance towards occupation, adding that the situation in Iraq is very difficult and the occupation forces has to work for avoiding the increase of avenge against them.

Previous Stories:
  One American was killed in Iraq, Bremer brings back thousands of Baathists to their posts   (4/24/2004)
  Occupation warns Faluja: handing over weapons within days, otherwise the attack   (4/23/2004)
  Bloody day in Iraq; American army accuses Iraqi police of supporting resistance   (4/23/2004)

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