BAGHDAD, Nov 14: A US helicopter gunship killed seven alleged attackers in northern Iraq, the US military announced on Friday, as Washington explored a faster handover of power to Iraqis in the wake of a surge in attacks over the past month.
In Baghdad, US forces struck at targets near the airport on Friday evening in operations to root out guerillas and destroy their hideouts.
Despite the growing US toll — two more soldiers were killed north of Baghdad in a bomb attack on Thursday — American officials vowed troops would stay until they had defeated guerillas fighting on seven months after Saddam Hussein’s fall.
A US military spokeswoman said the seven Iraqis were killed by a helicopter gunship while they were allegedly preparing to fire rockets at a US base in Tikrit and that troops later found hundreds of other missiles and rockets.
“Last night (Thursday) an AH-64 Apache observed enemy forces preparing to attack ... trying to fire rockets,” said Major Josslyn Aberle, adding that the suspects had targeted the US army’s Speicher base, 200kms north of Baghdad.
“The AH-64 engaged the would-be attackers, killing seven and wounding one,” while another managed to flee, said the major, a spokeswoman for the Fourth Infantry Division, which operates in the area.
She said the offensive was part of Operation Ivy Cyclone, launched after the downing of a US Black Hawk helicopter on Nov 7, killing all six on board.
A senior military official said US forces in Tikrit captured on Friday four men suspected of involvement in the downing of US helicopters.
TWO SOLDIERS KILLED: In the latest deadly attack on occupation troops, a bomb detonated as a US convoy passed a Baghdad street on Thursday night, killing two soldiers and wounding three.
Guerillas have killed at least 158 US soldiers since President Bush declared major combat in Iraq over on May 1.
NO TURNING BACK: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Friday denied Washington and its allies were in trouble.
“There is no decision to pull out early. Indeed quite the contrary. We will stay there as long as necessary,” Mr Rumsfeld told US troops at the Pacific base of Guam.
Arriving later in Japan, which has cold feet about sending troops in the wake of Wednesday’s bomb attack on the Italian base, Mr Rumsfeld met Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Donald Rumsfeld said the initial plan had been for a transfer of sovereignty after a new Iraqi constitution was ratified and elections held, but the administration was considering ways to transfer some responsibility sooner. President Bush said on Thursday he wanted to “encourage the Iraqis to assume more responsibility”.—Reuters/AFP
