IRAQ: Bodies of 3 fallen US soldiers return home

The bodies of three US Army personnel killed in Iraq will arrive back in the United States at Dover Air Base, 8th June at 1.30am.

The three fallen soldiers are:

Sgt. Emilio J. Campo Jr.
from Madelia, Minn.
United States Army

Pfc. Michael B. Cook
from Middletown, Ohio
United States Army

Pfc. Christopher B. Fishbeck
from Victorville, Calif.
United States Army

IRAQ: Two U.S soldiers killed

BAGHDAD: The U.S. military has reported that two American soldiers were killed on Sunday 22nd May while conducting operations in central Iraq. 

The military statement released Sunday gave no further details about the deaths. The soldiers were killed on a day marked by a wave of deadly explosions around Baghdad that killed at least 16 people most of them Iraqi security forces.

The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

UK leaving Iraq on Sunday after 8 year presence

Britain's Defence secretary says the departure of 170 navy training personnel from Iraq on Sunday 22nd May will mark conclusion of Operation Telic.

Britain's eight years of military commitment in Iraq will finally and formally come to an end on Sunday 22nd May, when the remaining forces in the south of the country will withdraw.

The announcement to bring to an end one of the most controversial military campaigns in recent history was made on Wednesday in a statement by the defence secretary, Liam Fox.

In total, the UK still has about 170 mostly naval personnel in Iraq, helping to train the fledgling Iraqi navy from the port of Umm Qasr. The contingent includes a few Royal Marines.

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Iraq: 3 Norwegians injured in bomb blast

BAGHDAD, 16th May: Three Norwegian nationals and two Iraqis were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad today, an Interior Ministry source said.

The attack took place in the morning on a main road in New Baghdad district when a roadside bomb struck a convoy of vehicles carrying Norwegian contractors working on a project for Iraq's Water Resources Ministry, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The blast wounded three Norwegians and two policemen guarding their convoy.

Iraqi al-Qaeda leader killed in jail fight

Abu Huzaifa Al Batawi and up to 15 others shot dead after prisoners try to overpower their guards in Baghdad prison.

The most senior member of al-Qaeda in Iraq has been shot dead during clashes between officers and prisoners inside a jail in Baghdad, officials say.

Abu Huzaifa Al Batawi, the leader of the Islamic state of Iraq - the most powerful al-Qaeda faction in the country - was killed along with up to 15 others after detainees tried to overpower their guards on Sunday.

Among the policemen killed was Brigadier General Moayed al-Saleh, the head of counter-terrorism for Baghdad's central Karrada district; a lieutenant colonel and two first lieutenants, the capital's security spokesman Major General Qassim Atta said.

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Iraq: American soldier killed in action

A US Army soldier lost his life in Iraq on 29th April 2011 when enemy forces attacked his unit with rocket propelled grenades and small arms.

Cavalry Pfc. Robert M. Friese, aged 21, from Chesterfield, Michigan, was on patrol in Al Qadisiyah province, Iraq when the incident happened. Pfc. Friese was serving with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment which is based at Fort Hood in Texas.

Iraq: suicide bomber hits army checkpoint

Eight people have been killed and 19 others wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Iraqi army checkpoint next to a market in the northern city of Mosul, police and hospital sources say.

A hospital source confirmed the number of dead and wounded and said Saturday's attack had taken place at a popular market in eastern Mosul, 390km from the capital, Baghdad.

"The suicide bomber exploded himself at the entrance where Iraqi soldiers were manning a checkpoint to frisk people entering the market," the source said.

Iraq: US Army Spc. Andrew Lara

The U.S Department of Defence has announced the death of Spc. Andrew E. Lara, aged 25, from Albany, Oregon, who died on 27th April 2011, in a noncombat related incident, in Babil province, Iraq.  He was assigned to F Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, attached to the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment.

Iraq: 11 killed as violence spreads

At least 11 people were killed in a string of bombings and shootings in central Iraq, a day after a suicide bomber killed 10 worshippers in a Shia mosque.

The violence on Friday underlined the security concerns Iraq still faces as American troops prepare to leave the country by the end of this year.

In Baghdad, a bomb went off in a predominantly Shia neighbourhood, killing three police commandos and one civilian and wounding 24 policemen and five civilians, police and medical officials said.

As police arrived on the scene to investigate, a second bomb exploded. Armed groups often use such staged blasts to lure in security and medical personnel who arrive on the scene to help and then fall victim to the subsequent blast.

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