Iraqi armed groups threatened to transfer the battle to the US

A group calling itself the Islamic Army In Iraq threatened to transfer the battle in 2005 into inside the USA. It said in a statement on the Internet that the American people will be deprived during the few coming days from security which its government aims to achieve. This came at a time when attacks and explosions continued in various parts of Iraq, most of them concentrated in the capital and areas situated to its north.

In a recent development, six members of the National Guard were killed and other 8 injured in a booby trapped car explosion at a checkpoint close to one American military base near Balad to the north of Baghdad. This came one day after the killing of 25 members of the national guards by a booby trapped car explosion that targeted their bus in the same area.

Two Iraqi police officers were killed at the hands of unidentified gunmen in al-Seneyeh area to the west of Beji. One American vehicle was damaged by an explosive to the west of that city, which had witnessed an attack launched by unidentified persons against an oil pipeline and set fire to it.

The police also found the bodies of three Iraqi contractors believed to have been working with the American forces near al-Touz area to the east of Tikrit.

Three Iraqis were killed including one child and other five were injured in a land mine explosion when a small bus they were in was running on the road linking Balad and al-Dalou'eyah to the north of the capital.

In Baqouba, one American armored vehicle was burnt by a mortar shelling targeted the headquarters of the American forces to the north east of the city. In Samera one American vehicle was damaged by a bomb explosion in al-Mutasim quarters in the downtown of the city while clashes took place between gunmen and the American forces following the incident.