Militants Attack U.S. Base in Iraq

newyorktimes
BAGHDAD, Feb. 20 — In a coordinated assault on an American combat outpost north of Baghdad, suicide bombers drove three cars laden with explosives into the base, killing two American soldiers and wounding at least 17 more, according to witnesses and the American military.

The brazen attack, which was followed by fierce gun battles and a daring evacuation of the wounded by at least four American helicopters, came on a day of deadly violence across the country, including shootings suicide bombings, mortar attacks and roadside explosions. Civilians, Americans and the Iraqi security forces all were targets.

Many of the attacks apparently were conducted by Sunni militants, perhaps seeking to gain firm control of havens outside Baghdad as American and Iraqi troops flood the streets of the capital in an attempt to stem the bloodshed, according to American and Iraqi military officials.

A family of thirteen was slaughtered on the road leading to Fallujah, 12 miles northwest of Baghdad, because they belonged to a tribe known to oppose the actions of Al Qaeda in Iraq, according to witnesses. The family, including an elderly woman and two small boys, was riding in an Akia minibus when the bus was stopped and they were dragged out, lined up in the middle of the road and shot. The killings took place in daylight in full view of others on the road, where traffic was stopped, witnesses said. At nightfall, the dead still lay on the pavement, because people remained fearful that they would be ambushed if they tried to collect the bodies.

The assault on the American base, located in the heart of a town called Tarmyia, was unusual, because militants have largely avoided staging direct attacks on heavily fortified American positions. In the past year, their attacks on American bases have mainly been mounted more indirectly — by firing mortar rounds from a distance, or by using snipers to wait for targets of opportunity.

Residents of Tarmyia, a city of 25,000, said the Americans had only occupied the base there for three months, since the local police force in the town collapsed following a campaign of intimidation and murder threats against the officers and their families by Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Before that, Americans were seen only occasionally in the city, sending soldiers from a base a short distance away to conduct joint patrols with the Iraqis.

When the Americans took over the former police station in Tarmyia, which is in the center of the city, they quickly fortified it with large blast walls.

The suicide bombers who attacked today timed their assault to inflict maximum damage, witnesses said. Shortly before dawn, two of them drove their vehicles into the outer perimeter of the station and detonated them, tearing a huge hole in the walls. Then, as American soldiers gathered at the breach to assess the damage, a third bomber drove his car up and detonated it.

There was also a heavy exchange of gunfire, but residents said they could not tell who was firing.

American military officials confirmed today that the base was attacked, and that two soldiers were killed and another 17 wounded. But they did not immediately provide details regarding the assault, so the accounts of witnesses could not be independently verified.

Residents said that even as the gunfire rang out in the air, four American helicopters flew into the town and wounded soldiers were evacuated.

This evening, American forces sealed off all routes in and out of the town, leaving residents worried that they would be cut off from basic supplies.