US: 12 Americans soldiers missing as fight intensify

12 Americans Missing Twelve American soldiers are unaccounted for following actions around the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, U.S. Central Command officials said yesterday.

Army Lt. Gen. John Abizaid, deputy commander, Combined Forces Command, said irregular Iraqi forces ambushed a U.S. Army supply convoy. Abizaid spoke to the press at the Qatar headquarters of the coalition partner command, which like its CENTCOM American component, is commanded by Army Gen. Tommy Franks.

The six-truck convoy took a wrong turn, Abizaid said. Four Americans were wounded and 12 are missing.

"Subsequently Iraqi regime officials displayed captured Americans on state television," the general said. "This is a clear violation of the Geneva Convention."

Army Brig. Gen. Vince Brooks, CENTCOM deputy operations officer, said U.S. officials believe the 12 to be in the custody of the irregular forces that conducted the ambush. "Their status is not known," he said.

Nasiriyah was the site of the sharpest engagement so far in the war. It is a strategic city on the Euphrates River. Marine Corps units had captured a bridge intact over the river.

Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force moved through the area following the attack and were able to extract other wounded members of the unit.