Two Americans killed in a military plane crash, a security official assassinated in al-Musil, mortar attack in al-Qaem
The American occupation forces yesterday announced the killing of two of its soldiers in a crash of a military helicopter to the west of Iraq, while unidentified persons assassinated a senior official in Musil and one American border point was attacked by mortars shelling.
Meantime, the American occupation authority announced readiness to postpone the negotiations over the status of forces in Iraq, expected to be in March until after the date for transferring the authority on June 30.
The spokesman for the occupation authority Dan Sinner said "when we made the negotiations on November 15 agreement with the governing council, the latter stressed reaching an agreement by the end of March on the role of the American forces," after authority transfer. He added that members of the governing council consider "that this should not be made before the end of March and even not before the end of June, they want to have it when Iraq is sovereign.. we honor their views and we are open towards this matter."
Meantime, one American spokesman said that one American helicopter crashed yesterday in the flow of the Euphrates river, near al-Haditha, adding that " two persons were killed and the helicopter fell in the river and the reasons are not known." Witnesses said they saw fire flaring up in the helicopter as it was falling. One said that two American helicopters were flying when one missile hit one of them. But the deputy director of operations in the American army Gen. Mark Kemet said that the second helicopter did not see enemy fire.
Witnesses also said yesterday that one Iraqi border point with Syria, where the American forces are positioned, was exposed to an attack by mortars shelling. They explained that more than 20 mortar shellings targeted al-Qaem customs point and the American forces retaliated indiscriminately and detained five persons from the area.
The Iraqi police announced the killing of the administrative director in al-Musil police Maj. Gen. Hikmat Mahmoud Muhammad by the fire of armed men as he was heading for his office in a recent attack against Iraqis who collaborate with the occupation forces.
The sources added that the former Lt. Gen in the Iraqi army, Abdul Illah al-Anz, was killed and his son wounded when armed men opened fire at him in his car in the same city. It explained that al-Anz is " member of the Baath party and also a former officer in the Iraqi intelligence."