Roadside Bomb Kills Two U.S. Soldiers in Baghdad; Tensions Ease in Najaf

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBO3PU34VD.html

Roadside Bomb Kills Two U.S. Soldiers in Baghdad; Tensions Ease in Najaf and Kufa After Agreement

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A roadside bomb killed two American soldiers and wounded three in a series of attacks Saturday against occupation forces and their Iraqi allies, while tensions eased in the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Kufa just weeks ahead of the transfer of sovereignty to the new Iraqi government.

Meanwhile, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr met in Najaf with Iraq's most influential spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani for the first time since al-Sadr launched an uprising against the U.S.-led coalition in April.

Najaf and Kufa were calm as Iraqi police extended their control there after a deal announced Thursday to remove gunmen loyal to al-Sadr from the streets.

Elsewhere, however, violence persisted, underscoring the grave security threat facing occupation forces and the new interim government set to take power June 30.

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[bluestateguy]

1. Meanwhile

soldiers still dying in Iraq...

[paulthompson]

2. how many has it been this month?

How many US soldiers killed this month, and what's that compared to last month? I haven't seen those numbers anywhere.

[Journeyman]

3. Try Lunaville. . .

http://icasualties.org/oif/

[catmandu57]

4. Nine

go to http://icasualties.org/oif/ used to be lunaville, you'll find all you need there. It's a shame, but these and all soldiers dying in the next week or so won't even be noticed.

[rfkrocks]

5. The country will go thru loud mourning over Reagan

while Taps will play fro the burial of a soldier and his working or middle class family in Arlington and they will be forgotten except by us who refuse to forget the evil Shrub who put them there-

[Darranar]

6. Calm before the storm?

This is clearly a tactical withdrawal; the al-Mahdi Army is far from defeated.

I think the turnover of control to the collaborators will be surrounded by a bloodbath.

[Aidoneus]

10. What collaborators?

If they mean the police, that means next to nothing--all but maybe 10% of them threw in their lot with Sadr when the intifada in the south broke out. They would have to import divisions from Israel to find enough loyal forces to act as a proxy again.

I would love to have had a loyal fly on the wall of the Sadr/Sistani meeting.

[Darranar]

11. Whoever the occupation intends to insert as leaders...

of the new "sovereign" Iraqi government.

My question is, does the Sistani/Sadr meeting indicate "moderation" by Sadr or greater resistance by Sistani?

[0007]

7. How many today three or four?

[Just Me]

8. I mourn the loss of so many lives,...

,...and the losses suffered by so many.

I'm sorry. :cry:

[llmart]

9. I mourn for them...

more than I'll mourn for Reagan. He had a longer than normal lifespan and these soldiers didn't. But there will be no hoopla and media coverage for our soldiers. Can't bother our beautiful minds over their deaths.