3 Marines killed in Iraq's Anbar province

[deadparrot]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A prominent Shiite politician called Friday for Iraqi forces rather than Americans to play a greater security role and for an end to "interference in their work" — an apparent reference to U.S. efforts to curb abuses by the Shiite-led Interior Ministry. Also Friday, the U.S. command announced that three more Americans had been killed in action, bringing to 40 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq this

The remarks by Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, who heads the country's biggest Shiite party, came as the U.S. military drafted plans to move up to 5,000 U.S. troops with armored vehicles and tanks into Baghdad in an effort to quell escalating violence.

...

The three latest U.S. Marine deaths occurred Thursday in Anbar province, a center of the Sunni uprising. The Marines were assigned to the Army's 1st Armored Division, which has units in the Ramadi area along with the Marines.

Years of vicious attacks by religious zealots, including members of al-Qaida in Iraq, have sharpened the sectarian gulf. Shiite militants struck back after the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite shrine, triggering a wave of tit-for-tat attacks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060729/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Just Me]

1. God, rest their souls.

God rest all the souls of this unnecessary tragedy. :cry:

[osaMABUSh]

2. Hey, what? The Ministry doesn't announce GI deaths anymore

Did anyone die in a war this week? Yes, I heard a dozen Israeli's, hundreds of Lebanonese. No, hundreds of Iraq's and several US soldiers weren't reported killed.

[maddezmom]

3. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2419700

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2421010