Iraqi civilians, US soldier killed in blast
Wed, 27 May 2009 17:50:46 GMT
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A roadside car bomb blast west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad has led to the death of five people including an American soldier.
Twelve civilians were also wounded after the roadside bomb targeting a US military patrol detonated in Abu Ghraib district on Wednesday.
The attack comes while the US military is preparing to pull out of Iraq's urban areas within the next month. Under a US-Iraqi security pact, US combat forces are required to leave Iraq by 2010, while all American forces must leave by 2012.
However, there are reports suggesting that Washington is planning to leave fighting forces in Iraq for another 10 years despite the agreement with Baghdad.
"Global trends are pushing in the wrong direction… They fundamentally will change how the Army works," US Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said on Tuesday at an invitation-only briefing for journalists and analysts.
Casey said his planning envisioned 10 combat brigades plus command and support forces committed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for a decade as part of a sustained US commitment to fighting extremism and terrorism in the Middle East.
According to icasualties website, at least 4,302 US military personnel have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
HE/MMN
Twelve civilians were also wounded after the roadside bomb targeting a US military patrol detonated in Abu Ghraib district on Wednesday.
The attack comes while the US military is preparing to pull out of Iraq's urban areas within the next month. Under a US-Iraqi security pact, US combat forces are required to leave Iraq by 2010, while all American forces must leave by 2012.
However, there are reports suggesting that Washington is planning to leave fighting forces in Iraq for another 10 years despite the agreement with Baghdad.
"Global trends are pushing in the wrong direction… They fundamentally will change how the Army works," US Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said on Tuesday at an invitation-only briefing for journalists and analysts.
Casey said his planning envisioned 10 combat brigades plus command and support forces committed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for a decade as part of a sustained US commitment to fighting extremism and terrorism in the Middle East.
According to icasualties website, at least 4,302 US military personnel have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
HE/MMN
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