[A-List] Soldier commits suicide in Iraq

["bon moun" <sherrynstan@xxxxxxx>]

Attacks kill 2 U.S. soldiers in Iraq


By JAMIE TARABAY, ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents launched fresh assaults on U.S. soldiers
in Iraq, killing at least two servicemen and wounding a third in
shootings and rocket-propelled grenade attacks, the military said
Thursday.
A soldier was fatally shot Wednesday evening near the city of
Mahmudiyah, 15 miles south of Baghdad, said Spc. Nicci Trent, a
spokeswoman for the military.
Another soldier was killed and one wounded Wednesday in a
rocket-propelled grenade attack on a five-vehicle convoy near Baqouba,
45 miles northeast of Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Bill MacDonald of the
Army's 4th Infantry Division.
The soldiers were evacuated to a nearby medical facility, but one of
them died. The military had said earlier that the attack occurred near
Tikrit, further to the northeast.
In the city of Ramadi, 60 miles west of the capital, three separate
mortar attacks targeted U.S. troops, but there were no reports of
casualties, the military said.
The military also reported that a soldier died Wednesday in what it
described as a non-hostile gunshot incident. The military gave no more
details. The names of the dead and wounded were withheld pending
notification of next of kin.

An American soldier attached to the 101st Airborne Division died Monday
in another non-hostile gunshot incident near Balad, 55 miles north of
the capital. Soldiers at an air base near Balad said on condition of
anonymity that the soldier had taken his own life.

Since President Bush declared major combat operations over May 1, a
total of 77 American soldiers have been killed - 31 by hostile fire and
46 in accidents and other non-hostile circumstances.
U.S. forces have come under increasing attack by insurgents loyal to
Saddam Hussein in recent weeks, hampering efforts to return security to
the country. The insurgents have also targeted vital infrastructure,
delaying the return of vital services like electricity in the capital.
Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, and Ramadi are part of the so-called "Sunni
triangle," a swath of land west and north of Baghdad across the
Euphrates and Tigris rivers that has been the scene of almost daily
attacks on U.S. occupation forces. The area is known to be a stronghold
of Saddam supporters, although many residents deny that the former
dictator still enjoys a following among them.
Capt. Michael Calvert, a spokesman for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment,
which is responsible for Ramadi, said the regiment's base in a former
Saddam palace by the Euphrates River received a mortar round on
Wednesday night. He said he knew of no casualties among troops on the
base.
Saddam's has not been seen since the overthrow of his regime in April,
though several tapes purportedly of the ousted dictator have been aired
on Arabic television. American officials are offering $25 million for
information leading to the arrest of Saddam, and $15 million for each of
his sons.
Also in the city, several dozen Iraqi police officers, most dressed in
their new U.S.-provided uniforms, marched on the mayor's office to
demand that U.S. forces leave the police station, where they have been
staying. The police, who say they will quit their posts if the soldiers
don't leave by the weekend, claim the soldiers' presence is putting them
in danger because they are frequently targeted by insurgents.
The military, meanwhile, said it had seized several large weapons caches
at checkpoints around the country.
The largest - including 400 to 500 rocket-propelled grenades - was found
in a vehicle on Tuesday on a road between Ramadi and Asad, west of the
capital. The military said it had conducted more than 2,000 patrols and
arrested 213 suspects since Tuesday. Most were suspected of common
crimes, though some were wanted on murder charges.
The U.S.-led government announced it would begin recruiting members of a
new Iraqi army on July 19. Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, in charge of training
the new army, said the coalition hoped to have 1,000 soldiers training
by August, and 12,000 by the end of the year. They hope to have 40,000
by an unspecified date in 2004.
Establishing an Iraqi army and police is a main goal of the U.S.-led
provisional government, which hopes the Iraqi forces will be able to
take over at least some of the country's security needs.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday that
the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which played a central role in
capturing Baghdad in April, is beginning to withdraw from Iraq, and will
be back in the United States by September.
He did not say whether the troops would be replaced by another American
unit, although he said he expects thousands of international soldiers to
begin operating in Iraq by late summer or early fall.
Also Wednesday, a committee of female Iraqi academics, activists and
sociologists demanded a minimum of 30 percent representation for women
in future city councils and the national government. The group, which
calls itself the Voice of the Women of Iraq, also said it wanted greater
rights and freedoms for women.