Friday March 29th, 2024 2:56AM

U.S. forces repel two attacks, kill 54 Iraqis

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - U.S. forces repulsed two coordinated attacks by insurgents in Samarra, killing 54 Iraqis in the bloodiest combat reported since the end of the war that ousted Saddam Hussein's regime, the military said Monday.

But local residents said troops fired randomly at townspeople, and that most of those who died were civilians caught up in the clash.

A U.S. military spokesman said the clash was initiated by attackers, many wearing uniforms of Saddam's Fedayeen paramilitary force, who simultaneously attacked two U.S. convoys at opposite sides of Samarra, a town 60 miles north of Baghdad.

The scale of the attacks and their apparent coordination indicated that rebel units retain the ability to conduct synchronized operations despite a massive U.S. offensive this month aimed at crushing the insurgency.

Associated Press Television News images showed scenes of devastation, with buildings pockmarked by hundreds of bullet holes, and about two dozen badly damaged cars, apparently run over by armored vehicles. A bus abandoned in the middle of a street had its front sheared off. Fences and walls of several residential homes were destroyed, apparently by shelling.

Lt. Col. William MacDonald of the 4th Infantry Division said that after barricading a road, the attackers opened fire from rooftops and alleyways with bombs, small arms, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. U.S. troops responded with 120mm tank rounds and 25mm cannon fire from Bradley fighting vehicles.

U.S. fire destroyed three buildings the attackers were using, MacDonald said.

"It sounds like the attack had some coordination to it, but the soldiers responded, used their firepower, used tank and Bradley fire and other weapons available to them, to stop this attack and take the fight to the enemy," he said.

MacDonald said the attack was the largest faced by his Task Force Ironhorse, whose mission includes the hunt for Saddam. Military officials in Baghdad said they haven't reported a deadlier attack since May 1, when President Bush declared major combat over. U.S. officials have only sporadically released figures on Iraqi casualties, and wouldn't say whether there has been a deadlier firefight that went unreported.

At least 104 coalition troops have died in Iraq in November, including 79 Americans. In terms of coalition losses, it has been the bloodiest month of the war that began March 20.

In Sunday's firefight in Samarra, the U.S. military initially said 46 Iraqi fighters died and five American soldiers were wounded. But a statement on Monday raised the number of Iraqi dead to 54.

But Samarra residents said most of those killed were ordinary townspeople who tried to flee the firefight.

"No one wants these Americans to enter this holy city. We don't want them to defile (it), and that's why this battle happened," said resident Mawlud Jassim. "Many Iraqis were killed and the Americans sustained big losses in lives and equipment."

Hossam Shaker, who had a shrapnel wound to his left arm, said a shell exploded among a group of workers walking out of the gate of the Samarra Pharmaceutical Plant at the end of the morning shift.

"American forces opened fire randomly on passersby and on (people) in the marketplace," said Shaker, interviewed Monday at the town's general hospital.

Shortly after the firefight, four men in a BMW attacked another U.S. convoy in Samarra with automatic rifles, MacDonald said. The soldiers wounded all four men, and found Kalashnikov rifles and grenade launchers in their car.

Also Sunday, two South Korean contractors were killed near Samarra in a roadside ambush in what U.S. officials called a new campaign aimed at undermining international support for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Attacks on Saturday killed seven Spaniards, two Japanese diplomats and a Colombian oil worker.

U.S. officials said insurgents were targeting citizens of nations that support the occupation of Iraq in an effort to undermine public support. But U.S. and allied officials vowed that multinational forces would not be cowed in their mission to rebuild Iraq after the ouster of Saddam Hussein.

"They clearly are targeting coalition members in an effort to intimidate all allies in Iraq and discourage their participation in the reconstruction of Iraq," coalition spokesman Dan Senor said. "The enemies of freedom ... are trying to break the coalition's will."

In Seoul, the South Korean government vowed to stick by plans to send up to 3,000 troops to Iraq despite the killing of two South Korean engineers.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reiterated Monday his vow that the attack on the Japanese diplomats would not alter Tokyo's commitments to send non-combat troops, provide humanitarian aid and participate in the reconstruction of Iraq.

"We must not give in to terrorism," Koizumi said.
© Copyright 2024 AccessWDUN.com
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.