Former cook for Saddam surrenders, One American killed, 5 wounded by resistance

One American soldier was killed and other 6 wounded in various attacks launched by the Iraqi national resistance during the 24 past hours in Iraq, while the occupation forces continued its breaking in operations in Tikrit in an attempt to detain the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, as news reported that one of his former cooks surrendered himself to the US forces.

In a statement, the central American leadership said that one US soldier died of his wounds he received in al-Mansour quarters in Baghdad on Thursday.

The US army also announced that three of its soldiers were injured yesterday in different attacks in Tikrit. One American officer explained that one soldier was injured when his car hit a mortar explosive while running in a convoy. A second soldier was wounded by also a mortar bomb. The American army added that a third soldier was slightly wounded in a mortar explosion but was able to return back to his military unit as he was given medical aid.

Meantime, the chairman of the emergency department at Saddam's hospital in Tikrit, Merza Omar, said that three Iraqis were killed and other six were wounded including two children by bullets fired by the American occupation forces yesterday in the city's main commercial street at shops selling weapons while testing machine guns in front of clients. However, the occupation forces admitted the killing of only two persons and wounding others of the weapons traders.

Earlier, the occupation army announced the detention of 12 Iraqis including three wanted, suspected to have had launched attacks against American soldiers during 4 separate operation on Thursday evening.

In this regard, brother in law of Qeis Rajab, who used to work as a cook for Saddam Hussein, said that Rajab surrendered himself to the American forces in Tikrit. Walid al-Tikriti said that the American forces broke into the house of the former cook on Thursday evening and inspected the place, but Rajab was not at home yet. Al-Takriti, the former lt. in the Iraqi republican guards forces, added that Rajab returned back home yesterday morning and decided to surrender himself to the American forces.

Meantime, eye witnesses in al-Amereyah said that at least three soldiers were wounded yesterday in an explosion which targeted two American military vehicles on one of the roads near the city which is 60 Km to the west of Baghdad.