Roadside Bomb Kills Three U.S. GIs, Wounds Two in Iraq
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi soldiers rushed to a mainly Sunni area of west Baghdad yesterday to free 23 Iraqis who had been taken hostage at a fake checkpoint there, a government spokesman said. A roadside bomb killed three Americans and wounded two. Fresh attacks against Sunnis in Hurriyah, a mixed neighborhood of northwestern Baghdad, have raised new fears of an organized campaign by Shiite militants to drive Sunnis from the area and strengthen militia control of the northern part of the capital.
Witnesses say scores of Sunni families have been fleeing Hurriyah in recent weeks, and Sunni organizations claim that the Shiite-dominated Iraqi army and police have done little to stop the violence.
Iraqi commanders have denied the charge and said they are encouraging Sunnis to remain in Hurriyah and assuring them of their safety.
Iraq’s defense ministry spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said security forces are doing everything they can to protect victims of sectarian violence,
