Roadside bomb kills two soldiers in Iraq

Sun., June 6, 2004

Robert H. Reid Associated Press

Three Oregon soldiers killed in Iraq

» PORTLAND – A carefully planned ambush on a dusty road in Baghdad killed three Oregon National Guard soldiers and gravely injured a fourth, in the single worst loss for the state since the war in Iraq began.

» All four had volunteered for duty in Iraq before their unit was called up, said Guard spokesman Maj. Arnold Strong. Among the dead was the son of a ranking Oregon National Guard official. Two of the three had married in the months before their deployment.

» Strong said the fatalities Friday were the first Oregon National Guard combat deaths of the war – and the worst single loss for the Oregon National Guard since World War II. The three who died were from the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry based in Cottage Grove.

» Sgt. Erik S. McCrae, 25, and 23-year-old Spc. Justin Linden, both of Portland, and Sgt. Justin Eyerly, 23, of Salem died in the attack, Strong said.

» Sgt. Nathan H. Melton, 23, of Albany, was struck in the neck and left arm by shrapnel, Strong said. His injuries had been considered life-threatening but stabilized by Saturday, Strong said.

» "This is one of the largest catastrophes we've had in years," Strong said. When news of the deaths reached headquarters Friday, senior officers closed their doors and cried, he said.

» The soldiers were among five American troops killed and five wounded when their vehicles were attacked in the Sadr City section of the Iraqi capital, a sprawling slum and flashpoint of resistance to the U.S. occupation.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A roadside bomb killed two American soldiers and wounded two in a series of attacks Saturday against occupation forces and their Iraqi allies, while tensions eased in the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Kufa just weeks ahead of the transfer of sovereignty to the new Iraqi government.

Meanwhile, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr met in Najaf with Iraq’s most influential spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani for the first time since the anti-U.S. cleric launched an uprising against coalition forces in April, an aide to al-Sadr said.

Najaf and Kufa were calm as Iraqi police extended their control after a deal announced Thursday to remove gunmen loyal to al-Sadr from the streets.

Elsewhere, violence persisted, underscoring the grave security threat facing occupation forces and the government set to take power June 30.

Iraq’s new prime minister, Iyad Allawi, has called for a halt to attacks on Americans and other foreign soldiers, saying their presence would be needed after the transfer of sovereignty to help improve security.

Allawi said in an interview Saturday with Al-Jazeera television that security would be one of the major tasks of his new government. He criticized the U.S. decision last year to disband the Iraqi army after Saddam Hussein’s regime collapsed.

“We will try to resolve these problems and we are looking forward to building a strong Iraq, based on love, peace and brotherhood,” Allawi said.

The roadside bombing, which occurred in eastern Baghdad, was the second fatal attack against American troops in the capital in as many days. Five U.S. soldiers were killed and five wounded Friday in an ambush near the Shiite neighborhood Sadr City, an al-Sadr stronghold.

Elsewhere in Sadr City, Al-Sadr’s militiamen attacked an Iraqi police station and American soldiers guarding the building returned fire, wounding at least one militiamen, witnesses said.

Assailants also ambushed two civilian sport utility vehicles, favored by Western civilian contractors, on the road to Baghdad’s international airport. An Iraqi Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two or three people were killed but he had no further information.

Another civilian car carrying Westerners was attacked Saturday in the northern city of Mosul. Police said one civilian was killed and three others were injured but they refused to identify them by nationality.

A rocket-propelled grenade also hit an Iraqi army recruiting center in Mosul, wounding 17 people, according to hospital officials and police.

Attacks against such facilities appear aimed at discouraging Iraqis from joining security services, which are expected to assume a greater role in fighting insurgents after the transfer of power.

Late Saturday, residents reported an armed clash in Fallujah, the restive Sunni Muslim city that was the scene of heavy fighting between Marines and insurgents last April. However, a coalition spokesman said no U.S. personnel were involved in any action in the city, where security is in the hands of an Iraqi unit organized with U.S. support after the Marines lifted their siege in late April.

Al-Sadr briefed al-Sistani on the plan announced Thursday to pull back Shiite militiamen and U.S. forces from Shia Islam’s holiest shrines, said Ahmed al-Shibani, a representative of al-Sadr’s office said.

“Al-Sistani has thanked (al-Sadr) for his efforts … to peacefully resolve this crisis,” al-Shibani said. “The agreement is moving toward success and is on the right path.”

The 30-year-old al-Sadr has been eager to win the support of al-Sistani – an older, more moderate cleric who commands broad respect among Iraq’s Shiites. Al-Sistani for his part has been eager to avoid a U.S. assault on Najaf and to prevent internal rifts among the Shiite majority, which is hoping to take power in national elections in January.

The session in al-Sistani’s office lasted about 10 minutes, his guards said.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.