Roundup: Seven US soldiers killed in suicide attack in Iraq

Roundup: Seven US soldiers killed in suicide attack in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Seven US Marines and three IraqiNational Guard soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near Fallujahon Monday, while medical tests showed Izzat Ibrahim al- Dour, one topofficial in former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's government, wasstill at large.

The suicide attack was the largest US death toll from a singleattack for five months which brings the number of US troops that diedsince the start of US-led Iraqi war in March 2003 to at least 985,including 739 killed in action.

The seven Marines who were assigned to the First MarineExpeditionary Force and three Iraqi National Guard soldiers werekilled when they were on a joint patrol, said a statement of the USmilitary.

"The vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which killed bothIraqi National Guard personnel and Marines was detonated late thismorning near Fallujah," the statement said.

Two military vehicles were also destroyed in the explosion,witnesses said, adding US troops rushed to the scene and sealed offthe area while helicopters were seen flying overhead and Marinesnipers were deployed around the area.

MEDICAL TESTS SHOWED FORMER TOP IRAQI OFFICIAL NOT CAPTURED

In another blow to the US forces and the Iraqi interim government,the Interior government announced Monday medical tests showed thatthe man captured recently was not Izzat Ibrahim al- Douri, the sixthon the 55 most wanted members of Saddam's regime.

"The person that has been arrested, after appropriate medicaltests, was not al-Douri," said a spokesman for the ministry, notingthe man is al-Douri's relative who is also wanted by the government.

The announcement put an end to the conflicting statements made byseveral Iraqi officials on al-Douri's purported capture.

On Sunday two Iraqi ministers said al-Douri was captured nearTikrit, Saddam's hometown, contradicting other official's statement.The two even gave details on how he was arrested after a battle.

But the regional commander of the National Guard in Tikrit and theUS forces in the region said they had no idea about the battle andthe capture.

There was no immediate explanation from the government on how andwhy so many top officials had made mistakes on the capture.

The confusion of al-Douri's fate put the interim government in anembarrassment and again aroused questions on the government'scredibility.

In August the government said the police entered a shrine in Najafwithout a shot being fired, but the report turned out to be a falsestory.

IRAQI HOSTAGE TAKERS ASK 5 MILLION US DOLLARS AS RANSOM

The Iraqi militants who are holding the two French journalists ashostages demanded a ransom of 5 million US dollars in a statementposted on the Internet.

The statement of the Islamic Army in Iraq indicated a cautiouspossibility on the release of the two hostages.

The group originally asked the French government to cancel a lawthat banning Muslim headscarves in state school.

The statement said the group would release the hostages if one ofthe two demands is met, but warned others "not to bombard us as youdid."

While Secretary-general of the Union of French IslamicOrganizations Fouad Alaoui who just came back from Iraq said thetalks over the release were in a "delivery phase" and the twohostages "are in good health and that the release is possible."