[ppi] [ppiindia] 20 GIs, 100 Iraqis terbunuh sejak akhir minggu <--perlu ada usaha penghentian

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20 GIs, 100 Iraqis Killed Since Weekend=20

NAJAF, Iraq - Coalition forces fought on two fronts Tuesday, battling=20
a Shiite-inspired uprising in southern Iraq (news - web sites) and=20
Sunni insurgents in the violent city of Fallujah in clashes that have=20
killed 20 American troops and at least 100 Iraqis since the weekend.=20

Backers of fiery anti-American Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr=20
attacked coalition forces in three cities =97 Italians in Nasiriyah,=20
Britons in Samawah and Ukrainians in Kut =97 after a weekend of=20
fighting that was especially intense in the poor Shiite neighborhood=20
of Sadr City in Baghdad.=20

In the latest U.S. deaths, five Marines were killed Monday =97 one of=20
them in Fallujah fighting and the others on the western outskirts of=20
Baghdad =97 and three U.S. soldiers died in attacks in a Baghdad=20
neighborhood on Monday and Tuesday.=20

At least two Marines were wounded in Fallujah on Tuesday, as forces=20
fought their way to the center of the city to crush an uprising by=20
insurgents loyal to ousted leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).=20
Marines pulled back to the outskirts at nightfall Tuesday.=20

Al-Sadr left his fortress-like complex Tuesday in Kufa and moved to=20
his office near a sacred shrine in this holy city, vowing to shed his=20
own blood to oust the American occupation.=20

Al-Sadr draws most of his support from a small segment of Iraq's=20
majority Shiite population. He is backed mainly by the poor and=20
primarily those who live in the Sadr City neighborhood of east=20
Baghdad. He has a history of confrontations with the U.S.-led=20
coalition, which Monday disclosed what it said was a murder warrant=20
for his arrest on charges he took part in the killing of a moderate=20
Shiite rival shortly after the American invasion a year go.=20

U.S. officials have suggested they will move soon to arrest al-Sadr,=20
who is surrounded by his al-Mahdi Army militia. Members of the=20
militia were behind a wave of violence Sunday in which eight American=20
soldiers and dozens of Iraqis were killed.=20

"I have pledged not to allow a drop of blood to be shed except my=20
own," al-Sadr said in a statement. "I'm prepared to have my own blood=20
shed for what is holy to me."=20

He said he was moving to avoid bloodshed in a mosque. "I feared that=20
the sanctity of a glorious and esteemed mosque would be violated by=20
scum and evil people," he said. The Americans "will have no qualms to=20
embark on such actions."=20

In Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad, Marines exchanged heavy=20
gunfire with the insurgents on the northeast edge of the city, said=20
Associated Press reporter Lourdes Navarro, who was with the troops.=20
Loud explosions also could be heard from the center of the city, when=20
troops engaged guerrillas before withdrawing at nightfall.=20

The battle began when a foot patrol that entered a few blocks into=20
the city came under a barrage of fire from a house, wounding two=20
Marines, said Cpl. Christopher Ebert, of Forest City, N.C., who was=20
on the patrol.=20

Trapped in an alley, they put up red smoke to summon help, and a tank=20
and a Humvee moved in to extract the patrol.=20

"Insurgents usually fire and run. This time they're digging in, which=20
is the first time we've seen them do that," Ebert said.=20

Fallujah General Hospital reported receiving five dead and seven=20
wounded Iraqis.=20

American commanders have vowed to root out insurgents after last=20
week's slaying and mutilation of four American civilians. Scenes of=20
Iraqis dragging charred bodies through the streets and hanging two of=20
them from a bridge Wednesday raised revulsion in the United States=20
and showed the depth of anti-U.S. sentiment in the city.=20

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said U.S. troops have captured a=20
number of people in Fallujah in the last 36 hours.=20

"They have photographs of a good many people who were involved in the=20
attacks against the individuals and they have been conducting raids=20
in the city against high-value targets," Rumsfeld said.=20

Top U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer conceded not all was going=20
smoothly as the coalition approached a June 30 handover of=20
sovereignty to the Iraqis. Bremer canceled a trip to Washington this=20
week because of the mounting violence.=20

"We have problems, there's no hiding that. But basically Iraq is on=20
track to realize the kind of Iraq that Iraqis want and Americans=20
want, which is a democratic Iraq," Bremer said on ABC's "Good Morning=20
America."=20

But he said continuing disturbances would not affect the American=20
handover schedule.=20

In Nasiriyah, 15 Iraqis were killed and 35 wounded when al-Sadr=20
backers attacked Italian troops. Eleven Italians troops were wounded,=20
said Maj. Schiazoni Simone, spokesman for the Italian forces.=20

The Apcom agency quoted U.S.-led coalition spokeswoman Paola Della=20
Casa as saying the Iraqi attackers used civilians as human shields=20
during the attack. She said a woman and two children were among the=20
dead.=20

According to the Defense Ministry in Rome, gunmen opened fire on=20
Italian forces patrolling the streets and bridges over the Euphrates=20
after violent protests in the area. The Italians returned fire, and=20
at the end of the gunbattle regained control of the main bridges,=20
said a statement by the Defense Ministry.=20

The ministry said the coalition headquarters building in Nasiriyah=20
also came under attack.=20

Fighting overnight in Amarah in the south between al-Sadr's followers=20
and British troops killed 15 Iraqis and wounded eight, said coalition=20
spokesman Wun Hornbyckle.=20

In the eastern Shiite city of Kut, a Ukrainian soldier was killed and=20
five were wounded when al-Sadr militants attacked an armored=20
personnel carrier, the Defense Ministry said. Two of the Iraqis were=20
killed and 10 were wounded, according to al-Sadr's office in Kut.=20
Ukraine has about 1,650 troops in Iraq, the third-largest contingent=20
among countries that did not take part in last year's major combat=20
operations.=20

About 500 Japanese soldiers stationed in Samawah in the far south=20
have been ordered to halt work on repairing roads and other=20
humanitarian activities outside the safety of their camp until after=20
festivities for the Shiite holy day of Arbaeen on April 11, Kyodo=20
News reported.=20

A U.S. official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity,=20
said all American officials in Iraq, including those working for the=20
Coalition Provisional Authority, had been told to remain inside their=20
compounds since Monday because of security worries. It was not clear=20
how long the rule would remained in place.=20

Rumsfeld said American military commanders in Iraq will get=20
additional troops if they request more soldiers. No request has been=20
made.=20

At the moment, about 135,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq =97 "an unusually=20
high level," Rumsfeld said. American officials had expected to go=20
down to about 115,000 troops when a series of rotations of new troops=20
into and older troops out of the country was complete, Rumsfeld said.=20

The United States declared al-Sadr an "outlaw" after his militiamen=20
battled coalition troops Sunday in Baghdad and outside Najaf in=20
fights that killed 61 people =97 including eight U.S. soldiers.=20

Three U.S. soldiers were killed in attacks Monday and Tuesday in a=20
northern Baghdad neighborhood near an area that saw clashes Monday=20
between al-Sadr militiamen and Americans, the military said =97 though=20
it was not immediately clear whether they were killed by al-Sadr=20
supporters.=20

The showdown with al-Sadr could raise tensions with Iraq's Shiite=20
majority. U.S. officials appear to be counting on Shiites not to=20
rally around al-Sadr, who is widely distrusted within his community=20
for his youth and radicalism.=20



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