# Army Patrol Ambushed



## tomahawk6 (12 May 2007)

A US Army patrol evidently stopped at a fake Iraqi roadblock. Five personnel are dead and three are missing. The patrol comprised 7 soldiers and an interpreter. A search is underway. Prayers for the missing and dead.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070512/ts_nm/iraq_dc


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## tomahawk6 (12 May 2007)

Update.

http://billroggio.com/archives/2007/05/five_soldiers_killed.php

Al Qaeda attackers said to be moving towards Fallujah

Al Qaeda in Iraq conducted a successful assault on U.S. Army forces in Mahmudiya. "This morning at 4:44 a.m. (0044 GMT) in Iraq, a coalition force team of eight soldiers (seven Americans and an Iraqi army interpreter), were attacked 12 miles west of Mahmudiya. As a result of this attack, five soldiers were killed in action and three are currently missing," noted the Multinational Forces Iraq press release. It is unclear if one of the captured is the Iraqi interpreter, or all are U.S. soldiers. "After an unmanned aerial vehicle observed two burning vehicles, a quick reaction force was dispatched, arriving on scene at 5:40 a.m."

The location of the attack sits astride of the operational boundary of Multinational Forces West and the newly created Multinational Forces Division Central. The Army team was "in a static position, providing overwatch," an unnamed U.S. Army officer serving in the region informed us this morning. The position was located "near a small village" and was "hit with an IED," according to the Army officer.

According to reports, the terrorists are believed to be fleeing towards the Fallujah region. "Last we heard was that they were headed in this direction, presumed captured," Gunnery Sergeant James Curtis of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment told AFP. The 2/6 Marines are in the Fallujah region. Gunnery Sergeant Curtis' company commander confirmed the checkpoints have been established. 

"Curtis's patrol threw up a checkpoint on a stretch of road on the eastern edge of the restive city of Fallujah in a bid to intercept the abductors if they attempted to take their captives there from western Baghdad," AFP reported earlier today. "Some of the trucks and cars arriving at the roadblock were marked as having been searched, showing that other military checkpoints had been set up on the road, which connects the western Baghdad suburb of Abu Ghraib to Fallujah." There are 3 main roads that lead to from Mahmudiya to Fallujah.

The decision to flee towards the northeast makes tactical sense. There are numerous Forward Operating Bases and battalion garrisons to the north and east [Baghdad and the "Fiyahs"], and south [Karbala], while Lake Razzazah lies directly east. The corridor in the northeast is relatively open until you approach Amiriya. The Marines have traditionally patrolled this region with a Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in the past, which do not set up static positions. 

Amiriya remains a hot spot for al Qaeda and its allies in the region. In addition to U.S. ground forces, the full weight of U.S. air observation platforms will be employed in the search for the missing U.S. soldiers. Expect the Anbar Salvation Council to devote all available resources in an attempt to secure the release of the missing U.S. soldiers.


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## Infanteer (12 May 2007)

Man - this is bad news....


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## Cloud Cover (13 May 2007)

CNN is reporting 3 missing and 5 dead in Iraq  


3 missing, 5 killed in attack on U.S. patrol
Story Highlights• Team of seven U.S. troops, one Iraqi, attacked before dawn
•Five killed; search is on for three others
• U.S. general asks for more troops in Diyala province
• Diyala province is insurgency hot spot bordering Iran


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- American troops were on the hunt in a volatile region south of Baghdad for three members of a U.S.-led military patrol, who went missing after an insurgent attack Saturday that killed five others.

The U.S. military said attackers struck the team of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi army interpreter.

It was unclear whether the Iraqi was among the missing or among those killed, and it is not known whether the interpreter was a soldier or a civilian employee. (Watch military spokesman describe details of the attack)

U.S. forces are using all assets in their search for the missing troops, who are listed as duty status whereabouts unknown, the military said.

Checkpoints have been established throughout the region and aircraft including helicopters, drones and jets have been deployed in the search.

The predawn attack occurred 12 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a city south of the capital in a region that has been nicknamed the Triangle of Death. (Map)

A nearby unit heard explosions, and 15 minutes later, a drone aircraft spotted two burning vehicles, according to a U.S. military statement.

"Coalition Forces are currently using every means at our disposal to find the missing Soldiers, and we will continue these efforts until all are accounted for," said a statement from military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell.

The search is reminiscent of the hunt last June for two soldiers who were seized at a checkpoint in Yusufiya.

The two also were listed as duty status whereabouts unknown until their bodies were found three days later.

Also Saturday, two Iraqi civilians were killed and five others were wounded when a parked car bomb detonated east of Baghdad in Mada'en, the Interior Ministry said.

Friday evening a roadside bomb explosion near a Shiite mosque in northeastern Baghdad killed one civilian and wounded five others, the official said.

Separately, the U.S. military said coalition forces arrested three insurgents and destroyed a car bomb Saturday morning during a raid in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City.

The troops were targeting an bomb network and found bomb-making materials.

"The individuals have suspected ties to a secret cell network in the area known for facilitating the transport of weapons and EFPs from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training," the military said.

The military also announced on Saturday that "several insurgents" attempting to plant roadside bombs in a southern Baghdad neighborhood were interrupted by U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces earlier in the week.


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## Mike Baker (13 May 2007)

This is not good news. I hope that they find them soon.


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## tomahawk6 (15 May 2007)

Those killed are:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE	No. 590-07
May 15, 2007


DoD Identifies Army Casualties

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 12 in Al Taqa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their patrol was attacked by enemy forces using automatic fire and explosives. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

            Killed were:

            Sgt. 1st Class James D. Connell Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tenn.

            Pfc. Daniel W. Courneya, 19, of Nashville, Mich.

            Pfc. Christopher E. Murphy, 21, of Lynchburg, Va.

            For further information related to this release, contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at (315) 772-8286.


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## Kirkhill (15 May 2007)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070514/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq



> BAGHDAD - An al-Qaida front group warned the United States on Monday to halt its expanding search for three missing American soldiers "if you want their safety."....


much more on the link

It appears that somebody fails to understand the situation fully.


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## tomahawk6 (15 May 2007)

We are hoping that due to the ongoing sweeps the bad guys have limited movement and if so would give us a decent shot at finding them. What we need is a local who can give us some real time intel.


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## Benny (15 May 2007)

I couldn't imagine much worse than being captured by these scumbags. Hope they get found real soon.


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## Kirkhill (16 May 2007)

Best of luck to your guys T6.


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## tomahawk6 (16 May 2007)

Petraus has moved assets to the area including a Stryker battalion and MI teams. According to reports the bad guys may be hunkered down in the Yusifiyah and Mahmudiyah region. The fact that no tape has been seen is possibly a good thing - meaning they are cut off from their video making equipment. The soldiers have a very high propaganda value so the hope is that the bad guys wouldnt kill them before a tape had been made.


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## razorguns (4 Aug 2007)

I hope everyone comes back soon.  I got many buddies there.  Things are only getting worse over there, and that saddens me.

r


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