Updated at 8:27 p.m. EDT, May 1, 2009
Three U.S. servicemembers lost their lives in an anti-tank grenade attack in Anbar province. At least 10 Iraqis were also killed, while another 13 were injured in attacks across Iraq. Meanwhile, U.S. personnel were involved in another controversial raid.
Two Marines and one sailor were killed during U.S. operations in Anbar province. An anti-tank grenade was used, and the suspected perpetrators were captured. The servicemembers were killed yesterday, during April, making the month the deadliest for U.S. troops so far this year. Iraqi casualties were also at their highest for the year last month.
A U.S. raid, which left two Iraqi brothers dead, in Tikrit has the potential for political ramifications. The provincial governor and tribal leaders said today’s raid violated a U.S.-Iraqi security pact signed last year, but U.S. officials claimed that it was Iraqis, supported by U.S. advisors, who were serving a warrant. The brothers were policemen. Earlier in the week, a similar raid in Kut raised tensions between the U.S. and Iraq.
In Mosul, six civilians were killed and eight more were wounded when a suicide bomber struck at a restaurant near the Mosul Dam. Five dead were member of one family.
Neighbors discovered a decayed body lying on a rooftop in Kut. Police said the young man appeared to have been shot. Also, a young child was liberated.
Five policemen were wounded when the bomb they were defusing in central Basra exploded.
The latest in a series of operations was implemented this morning in Diyala province. Although violence has decreased dramatically in Diyala, it remains one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq.
A raid in Amara netted four suspects and 21 bombs.
Kirkuk police detained a potential suicide bomber who was planning an attack at a mosque.
Police in Latifiya detained a suspect.
