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WASHINGTON, June 16, 2005 – Five Marines assigned to 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed near Ramadi, Iraq, June 15 when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device. A sailor assigned to the same unit also died June 15 from wounds received from enemy small-arms fire.
A Task Force Baghdad soldier views the aftermath of a terrorist attack against the Iraqi army in a rural area north of Baghdad, Iraq, June 14. The attack occurred shortly after noon when two cars, heavily laden with explosives, were detonated by insurgents as an Iraqi army convoy passed. Both terrorists were killed in the attack, which left four Iraqi soldiers wounded. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Bromley, USA
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. |
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The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of family. In other news from Iraq, terrorists launched an unsuccessful attack against an Iraqi army patrol in a rural area north of Baghdad June 14. The attack occurred shortly after noon and involved two vehicle-borne IEDs. Insurgents detonated the cars, heavily laden with explosives, as an Iraqi army convoy passed. Both terrorists died when they detonated their car bombs. Four Iraqi soldiers were wounded and were evacuated by air to a nearby hospital for treatment. All are expected to return to duty in the near future, officials said. "The competence of the Iraqi army vs. the anti-Iraqi forces is clearly evident," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Eric Wesley, commander of 1st Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division. "Two terrorists are dead, and only four minor wounds were sustained by the Iraqi army." The Iraqi army has an increasing role in security and stability operations in the Baghdad area. The Iraqi security forces' tactics and techniques have improved to a point where they are placing increased pressure on the terrorists, Wesley said. "The Iraqi army is being extremely effective. ... They're seeing the Iraqi army in numbers that they have never seen before, and they are being targeted for this reason," he added. (Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)
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