Four U.S. Troops, 16 Others Killed in Iraq [View All]

[Florida_Geek]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq.html

December 5, 2004
Four U.S. Troops, 16 Others Killed in Iraq
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 4:56 a.m. ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Suicide car bombs struck Iraqi police and Kurdish militiamen in Baghdad and northern Iraq on Saturday, killing at least 16 people and wounding dozens, while four U.S. soldiers died in separate attacks, again demonstrating the lethal reach of Iraq's insurgency just weeks ahead of crucial elections.

The U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. John Abizaid, acknowledged that the country's homegrown forces aren't yet up to the task of ensuring secure elections, requiring the planned increase in U.S. troops. More than 42 Iraqis have been killed in the last two days alone.

But U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi criticized the military's hardline approach to the insurgency and said credible elections cannot be held Jan. 30 under the current conditions.

..more at AP