16/12/2003

16 rebels killed after ambushing US forces

Sixteen rebel insurgents have been killed in Iraq after US troops beat off a number of ambushes over the past 24 hours.

In the largest engagement, the US Central Command confirmed today that troops travelling through the city of Samarra repelled a "complex ambush" yesterday afternoon, killing 11 attackers without suffering any casualties.

US military sources said that two men on a motorcycle firing automatic weapons confronted a patrol as it drove through the city. The pair used children leaving a nearby school as cover to attack the patrol, the US military said.

Coalition forces used snipers, "in consideration of the children and a nearby mosque", and the pair fled. However, a short distance later the patrol was attacked by a second group which fired machine guns, RPGs and mortars at the convoy after detonating an "improvised explosive device".

"The enemy’s attack was ineffective, causing neither casualties nor damage to any vehicle," a US military spokesperson said.

A nearby patrol joined the attack and the ambushers melted away, leaving 11 dead behind. There were no Coalition casualties during the firefight and, except for a civilian automobile that was damaged by a rocket-propelled grenade, there was no damage to any other property or equipment.

The US military has also confirmed that an airborne unit was attacked with two improvised explosive devices, rocket propelled grenades (RPG), and small arms fire north of Khalidiyah.

Around 15-20 militants ambushed the soldiers, but the attack was beaten off with two attackers killed. In a separate attack, approximately 30 Iraqis began firing on a unit returning from a weapons cache. The unit returned fire, killing one of the attackers.

And this afternoon, two militants were shot dead after US troops were fired on in Al Ramadi.

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

27 May 2003
Two US troops die in Iraq firefight
Two US troops have been killed today and a further seven injured after a Coalition patrol was fired on near Baghdad. So far the US has confirmed one US military death from this morning's firefight near Fallujah.
15 October 2012
Gurka Veteran Finds Attackers 5-Inch Blade In His Arm
A former Kent Gurkha who fought off a mugger was unaware he had been stabbed and that the attackers five inch blade had broken off in his arm. 38-year-old Taitex Phlamachha was with his wife when he was attacked after withdrawing money from a cash machine in Maidstone on 7 October.
01 September 2014
Appeal After Man Fatally Stabbed In West London
A murder investigation has been launched into the death of a man in west London. Police said that 59-year-old Tony Charlery was stabbed in the neck on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, in the early hours of Saturday morning. It is believed that Mr Charlery was trying to run away from his attackers when he was stabbed. He died at the scene.
25 March 2010
Suspected Colchester Stabber Efit
Detectives have released an efit of a suspect wanted in connection with an incident in which two men received stab wounds at a flat in Colchester. At 8.15pm on Monday 1 February 1 there was a knock at the door of the property on Montgomery Close.
23 September 2009
Boy Loses Sight In Mugging
A teenage boy has lost the sight in one eye after being assaulted during a robbery in Halesowen. The 15-year-old was walking along New John Street after 10pm on Tuesday September 1 when two men walked up to him and ordered him to hand over personal items. The main offender then punched him in the face, causing a severe eye injury.