.13 Iraq police killed in rocket incident
BAGHDAD -- Iraqi police officers attempting to dismantle rockets primed for launching from the back of a truck were caught up in a series of blasts Tuesday that killed at least 13 of them. There were different reports on what caused the explosions in eastern Baghdad. An official in the Ministry of Interior, which oversees police, said the area around the truck had been booby-trapped with roadside bombs that detonated as police arrived.
But other police reports said at least some of the explosions occurred as police worked to dismantle the rockets. According to one account, two rockets exploded during the dismantling attempt, and three accidentally launched.
There was no explanation for the conflicting reports.
Police were called to the area after a truck containing 16 rockets in launch positions was discovered.
Early today, the U.S. military announced that three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb Tuesday in northwestern Baghdad.
The deaths brought to 3,966 the number of U.S. troops killed since the war began in March 2003, according to icasualties.org.
Tuesday's rocket discovery came a day after rockets slammed into Camp Victory, the U.S. military's sprawling base near the Baghdad airport, and into nearby areas.
At least five Iraqis were killed and two U.S. soldiers were injured in the attacks, according to the military.
The United States accuses Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim militias of being responsible for rocket attacks, which in recent months had ebbed. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Sunday that the average daily number of attacks last month in Baghdad, including from rockets and mortars, was 11 compared with 46 per day in June.
But Smith said the military was seeing an increase in the use of weapons by Iranian-backed militias, which the military calls "special groups."
"I don't want to give the impression that we're seeing an increase in the shipments of arms by Iran into Iraq," Smith said, referring to U.S. accusations, denied by Tehran, that the Iranians smuggle bombs, bomb-making materials and other weapons over the border.
Instead, he suggested that the groups were using caches that they had been hiding. "What's significant is there are still attacks occurring daily by Iranian-backed special groups," Smith said.
latimes
But other police reports said at least some of the explosions occurred as police worked to dismantle the rockets. According to one account, two rockets exploded during the dismantling attempt, and three accidentally launched.
There was no explanation for the conflicting reports.
Police were called to the area after a truck containing 16 rockets in launch positions was discovered.
Early today, the U.S. military announced that three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb Tuesday in northwestern Baghdad.
The deaths brought to 3,966 the number of U.S. troops killed since the war began in March 2003, according to icasualties.org.
Tuesday's rocket discovery came a day after rockets slammed into Camp Victory, the U.S. military's sprawling base near the Baghdad airport, and into nearby areas.
At least five Iraqis were killed and two U.S. soldiers were injured in the attacks, according to the military.
The United States accuses Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim militias of being responsible for rocket attacks, which in recent months had ebbed. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Sunday that the average daily number of attacks last month in Baghdad, including from rockets and mortars, was 11 compared with 46 per day in June.
But Smith said the military was seeing an increase in the use of weapons by Iranian-backed militias, which the military calls "special groups."
"I don't want to give the impression that we're seeing an increase in the shipments of arms by Iran into Iraq," Smith said, referring to U.S. accusations, denied by Tehran, that the Iranians smuggle bombs, bomb-making materials and other weapons over the border.
Instead, he suggested that the groups were using caches that they had been hiding. "What's significant is there are still attacks occurring daily by Iranian-backed special groups," Smith said.
latimes
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