BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Suspected Shiite
militiamen have begun using powerful rocket-propelled bombs to attack U.S.
military outposts in recent months, broadening the array of weapons used against
American troops.
U.S. military officials call the devices Improvised
Rocket Assisted Munitions, or IRAMs. They are propane tanks packed with hundreds
of pounds of explosives and powered by 107mm rockets. They are often fired by
remote control from the backs of trucks, sometimes in close succession.
Rocket-propelled bombs have killed at
least 21 people, including at least three U.S. soldiers, this year.
A U.S. soldier inspects the site of a
bomb attack in Baghdad's Shaab district July 6, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
The latest reported rocket-propelled bomb attack
occurred Tuesday at Joint Security Station Ur, a base in northeastern Baghdad
shared by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers. One U.S. soldier and an interpreter were
wounded in the attack.
U.S. military officials say IRAM attacks, unlike
roadside bombings and conventional mortar or rocket attacks, have the potential
to kill scores of soldiers at once. IRAMs are fired at close range, unlike most
rockets, and create much larger explosions. Most such attacks have occurred in
the capital, Baghdad.
The use of the rocket-propelled bombs reflects
militiamen's ability to use commonly available materials and relatively low-tech
weaponry to circumvent security measures that have cost the U.S. military
billions of dollars.
To combat roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive
devices or IEDs, U.S. and Iraqi troops have set up scores of checkpoints
throughout the capital, increased patrols and purchased hundreds of armored
vehicles that can resist such attacks.
Militia members and insurgents have at times
increased the sophistication of their weapons, but the rocket-propelled bombs
are makeshift devices that also have been used in recent years by insurgents in
Colombia. Propane tanks are ubiquitous in Iraq, where the fuel is widely used
for cooking, making it hard for security forces to stop production of the bombs.
To counter the threat posed by rocket-propelled
bombs, soldiers have stepped up patrols around outposts, fortified their
buildings and offered tens of thousands of dollars for information about
networks that use the weapon.
Most attacks have been carried out during the day and
some have been videotaped and aired on the satellite television station operated
by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia and political movement. U.S. military officials
said they have found Iranian-made 107mm rockets at some of the blast sites,
which they said suggests the weapons ¡ª or parts ¡ª may have come from Iran.
Iraq's President Nuri al-Maliki speaks
during a visit to Kerbala, 80 km southwest of Baghdad, June 20, 2008.
(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's stance in
negotiations with the U.S. over the country's security has been getting tougher,
a trend obviously seen when a Iraqi security officer demanded a definite
deadline of U.S. troops' withdrawal.
Iraq will reject any security pact with the United
States unless a specific date for withdrawal of U.S.-led troops is set, Iraqi
national security advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie said in Najaf on Tuesday. Full story
WASHINGTON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. military commander
said on Wednesday that the U.S. troops in Iraq would finish security operation
by mid 2009, but he also noted need for long-term help to Iraq.
"The ground forces will mostly be done by the middle
of next year," Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik said at a hearing of the House of
Representatives Armed Services Committee, adding that could be between April and
August. Full story
WASHINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki's public demand for the U.S. troops withdrawal timetable from the
country fueled on Tuesday the debate between Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama and his Republican rival John McCain on Iraq policy.
McCain insisted that any further withdrawal of U.S.
troops in Iraq should be based on security situation on the ground. Full story
WASHINGTON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States said on
Tuesday the withdrawal of its troops in Iraq will be based on conditions on the
ground and rejected the Iraqi demand to set a timetable for a pull-out.
"The U.S. government and the government of Iraq are
in agreement that we, the U.S. government, we want to withdraw, we will
withdraw. However, that decision will be conditions-based," State Department
spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.
"We're looking at conditions, not calendars here,"
Gallegos said, adding that the United States is committed to
departing. Full story
BAGHDAD, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's National Security
Advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie said Tuesday that his country will reject any security
pact with the United States unless a specific date for withdrawal of U.S.-led
troops is set, according to reports from the holy city of Najaf.
"Our stance in the negotiations with the Americans
will be strong. We will not sign any memorandum of understanding without
specifying a date for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq," Rubaie told
reporters in Najaf. Full story
