For the second straight day, U.S. troops fatally fire on vehicles in Iraq.

By LEILA FADEL
McClatchy Newspapers
BAGHDAD For the second day in a row, American troops Tuesday killed Iraqi civilians when they fired on a vehicle that they thought was a threat, the U.S. military said.
Two people died and four were injured when a U.S. soldier fired at a minibus transporting workers to a bank operated by the Iraqi Finance Ministry, the military said. Iraqi police and employees at the bank said four people were killed, including three women, and two were injured.
The U.S. military also reported that two soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Salah ad Din province. Two soldiers were wounded.
The military gave no further details.
The minibus was driving near a U.S. military outpost in the al-Shaab neighborhood of northern Baghdad when it ended up on a road where only car traffic is permitted, the military said. American soldiers signaled the minibus to stop, and when it did not, one of them fired a warning shot.
On Monday, a child and two men were killed when their vehicle rushed through a U.S. military roadblock while the military was conducting an operation in Bayji, north of Baghdad. U.S. soldiers opened fire on the vehicle.

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Suicide attack kills 3 US soldiers, 3 Iraqi children

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber detonated his explosives as American soldiers were handing out toys to children northeast of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least three children and three of the troops, US and Iraqi authorities said.
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Seven children were wounded in the attack near Baqubah, where US soldiers wrested control from Al Qaeda in Iraq last summer. The attack, along with a series of other blasts in the capital and to the north, underlined the uncertainty of security in Iraq even as the US military said violence is down sharply across Iraq.
Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, a US military spokesman, said yesterday that terrorist attacks in Iraq are at their lowest levels since January 2006. He said overall violence has dropped 55 percent since a US troop buildup began this year.
Police said the bomb attack occurred as US soldiers were handing out toys, sports equipment, and treats in a playground near Baqubah, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Few details were available, but the US military said it was a "suicide vest attack" and that three American soldiers were killed ... Get Full Story

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Bombs Strike Children, US Troops in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives as American soldiers were handing out toys to children northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least three children and three of the troopers, U.S. and Iraqi authorities said.
Seven children were wounded in the attack in Baqouba, where U.S. soldiers wrested control from al-Qaida in Iraq last summer.
The attack, along with a series of other blasts in the capital and to the north, underlined the uncertainty of security in Iraq even as the American military said overall violence is down 55 percent since a troop buildup began this year.
Police said the attack occurred as U.S. soldiers were handing out toys, sports equipment and other treats in a playground near Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.
Few details were available, but the U.S. military said it was a "suicide vest attack" and that three American soldiers were killed.
Rasoul Issam, 16, said he and his friends were playing soccer when the U.S. soldiers called to them from their vehicles to come get gifts.

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US Military in Iraq Searches for Militants Believed Linked to Soldiers' Kidnapping

U.S. soldiers dig during a search for the bodies of two soldiers in the town of Awesat, south of Baghdad, 16 Nov 2007The U.S. military says it launched pre-dawn raids south of Baghdad Friday to hunt for militants believed to be linked to the kidnapping of two American soldiers.
The military says helicopters dropped 600 soldiers into the villages of Owesap and Betra, while warplanes dropped two bombs to block possible escape routes. Some 150 Iraqi soldiers also took part in the operation.

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US General: Iran Sticking by Pledge
By ROBERT H. REID

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran seems to be honoring a commitment to stem the flow of deadly weapons into Iraq, contributing to a more than 50 percent drop in the number of roadside bombs that kill and maim American troops, a U.S. general said Thursday.
The comments by Maj. Gen. James Simmons marked rare U.S. praise for Iranian cooperation in efforts to stabilize Iraq. Washington has repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of aiding Shiite militias and trying to foil U.S. goals in Iraq and the region.
But it remains unclear why Iran may have decided to choke off the suspected weapons pipeline. One possibility is that Iran — the most populous Shiite nation — is seeking to shore up the struggling government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, in the belief it will help Tehran's long-term interests.
Simmons, a deputy commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq, told reporters that the number of roadside bombs either found or exploded nationwide had fallen from 3,239 in March to 1,560 last month.
The October figure was the lowest since September 2005, he said.


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2007 Is Deadliest Year for U.S. Troops in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Nov. 6 — Six American soldiers were killed in three separate attacks in Iraq on Monday, the military said Tuesday, taking the number of deaths this year to 852. The toll makes 2007 the deadliest year of the war for United States troops.

Military officials announced the discovery of a mass grave holding 22 bodies in a rural area north of Falluja. They also said that nine Iranians being held in Iraq would soon be released, including two of the five who were detained during a January raid of a consulate office in Erbil.
Five of the American soldiers died in two roadside bomb attacks on Monday near Kirkuk, said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, director of the communications division of the Multinational Force-Iraq, the formal name for the United States-led forces.

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