American soldier killed in Tikrit, three injured; Baghdad: fire at two demonstrations of protest

A demonstration by unemployed Iraqis in Baghdad yesterday turned into a battle with the Iraqi police during which two persons were injured while one American female soldier was killed and three of her colleagues were wounded in an attack by the Iraqi resistance in Tikrit where the occupation forces carried out a series of breaking in operation during which 22 persons were arrested.

The US soldiers also opened fire yesterday and fired warning shots over heads of a group of angry demonstrators of occupation forces' detention of the Imam of Ali al-Kazem mosque, Mu'ayyad al-Khazraji for several hours for interrogation, south of Baghdad. Fire was exchanged between the occupation forces and guards of the mosque. Al- Khazraji assistant, Mazin al-Saadi announced that the Shiite will stand against the Americans unless they receive a written apology over the detention of the Imam from the Americans within three days.

Witnesses said that two Iraqis were wounded yesterday in a demonstration on unemployed during which the Iraqi police opened fire to disperse the protesters who retaliated by opening fire and throwing stones and setting fire in car tires.

In al-Musil, Iraqi police men fired warning shots to disperse hundreds of unemployed Iraqis who were demonstrating to demand jobs. The demonstrators alleged that they were forced to pay bribes to get jobs, but in futility.

An American military spokeswoman said that one US female soldier was killed yesterday and three of her colleague injured, two of them in a critical condition, in an attack by bombs at an American convoy running in Tikrit coming from Baghdad.

Earlier, the occupation army announced that its soldiers detained 22 persons suspected to trade in weapons in a breaking in operation in Baghdad.