Three Soldiers Die in Action; Insurgents Killed, Captured

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One insurgent was killed and another was wounded after they fired on a vehicle and tower at a Multinational Force Iraq base gate in Tikrit on Jan. 17. Soldiers of the1st Infantry Division guarding the tower returned fire. The body of the dead insurgent was taken to the Tikrit hospital. The wounded insurgent fled, avoiding capture.

Near Baqubah today, one Iraqi police officer was killed and three others were wounded when anti-Iraqi forces attacked a police station with mortars at about 11:14 a.m. Seven mortar rounds exploded in the vicinity of the police station. The officers were evacuated to Iraqi and coalition medical facilities for treatment.

In central Baghdad, at least six Iraqis, including two Iraqi police, were wounded by the blast of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device that detonated about 8:50 a.m. today. The suicide bomber died in the blast. A Task Force Baghdad explosive ordnance team was dispatched to the site to conduct a blast analysis.

Also in the Baghdad area, soldiers from the Iraqi army's 3rd Division defeated and captured 10 attacking insurgents Jan. 17 during a security patrol southeast of Rabia. The Iraqi soldiers overcame an initial attack by two improvised explosive devices, small arms and automatic weapons fire before defeating the insurgents.

In the Mosul area, multinational forces killed five insurgents in two separate incidents Jan. 17. Three insurgents were killed while attacking with rocket- propelled grenades and mortar rounds in southwest Mosul. Multinational forces shot and killed two more insurgents who were staging another attack later in the day.

While patrolling in the north Babil region south of Baghdad on Jan. 17, Task Force Baghdad soldiers found three improvised explosive devices.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)