US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,115

As of Tuesday, July 8, 2008, at least 4,115 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,353 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.

The AP count is two fewer than the Defense Department’s tally, last updated Tuesday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.

Since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, 30,349 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department’s weekly tally.

The latest deaths reported by the military:

A soldier died Tuesday of injuries from a roadside bomb in Amiriyah, a neighborhood in western Baghdad.

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Sistani opposes Iraq-US security deal

Iraq’s most senior cleric voices opposition to a proposed security deal with the US, saying such a deal would threaten Iraq’s sovereignty.

In a meeting with Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq Al-Rubaie on Tuesday, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani expressed his concerns over the security deal by calling it an excuse that will justify the presence of US forces in Iraq.

Ayatollah Sistani had earlier noted that any long-term pact with the US should observe four key terms: safeguarding Iraqis’ interests, national sovereignty, national consensus, and parliament approval.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki suggested a timetable for the departure of US forces from Iraq.

However, Washington played down calls for a firm withdrawal deadline, saying any pullout will be based on the conditions on the ground.

“We’re looking at conditions, not calendars here,” State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said on Tuesday.

Baghdad and Washington are negotiating a treaty that would allow the American troops to stay in Iraq after their mandate under the UN expires in December 2008.

The controversial security deal has faced fierce opposition from Iraqi religious and political figures who believe the deal would turn the country into a US colony.

MMS/PA

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Iraq SOFA deal allows future wars

The proposed Iraq-US security treaty includes classified articles that would give US the right to attack other nations from Iraqi soil.

As reported by Press TV correspondent from Baghdad, the controversial classified articles in question include the following measures:

1. US forces would be free to attack via Iraqi airspace, land or waterways any country which threatens global and regional peace and security, menaces Iraqi government and constitution, or instigates terrorist and paramilitary groups.

2. US forces would have the right to set up additional military bases and stations inside Iraq that will support the Iraqi army. The number of the bases would depend on several factors, including the security conditions the US government deems desirable, negotiations with the US Embassy in Baghdad and the US command as well as discussions with the Iraqi Defense Ministry and relevant authorities.

3. The Iraqi government and its judiciary would not have the right to prosecute American forces or individuals. The immunity measure would extend to the US military, security, non-military and logistics firms affiliated with the US Army.

4. The Iraqi government would not have the right to independently determine whether US forces inside Iraq are qualified, nor would it have the right to limit or determine the size of American military bases and their routes.

5. US security forces would have the right to build security centers, particularly their own special prisons, to maintain security.

6. US forces would have the right to use their privilege to arrest those who threaten peace and security without a warrant from the Iraqi government or its institutions.

7. The US government must be informed of and negotiated with on Iraq’s regional and international relations as well as signing of agreements so as to safeguard the country’s security and constitution.

8· US forces will control Iraq’s defense, interior and intelligence ministries for 10 years to carry out efforts toward training and enabling their staff, a measure which would mean even the weapons used by Iraqi forces and their types must be employed with the consent of US forces.

9. The agreement to be signed would be a pact rather than a treaty.

10· US forces would remain in Iraq for an unspecified and presumably lengthy period depending on conditions in the country. Future reviews on the matter would depend on the US and Iraqi governments. Any review would only be made under certain preconditions, including that Iraq’s security and military organizations improve their performance; the country’s security situation improves; national reconciliation takes place; neighboring countries are warned; the Iraqi government regains complete control throughout the country; and put an end to the presence of paramilitary forces inside Iraq.

According to Press TV’s Baghdad correspondent, the 14-member American delegation now in Iraq to negotiate the deal were asked to revise several articles of the status of forces agreement (SOFA) in order to secure the approval of the Iraqi government.

The decision came only after public protests against the security treaty and opposition from various Iraqi political and religious leaders.

MJ/MR/BGH

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Military: US soldier killed north of Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The U.S. military says a U.S. soldier has been killed in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad.

A statement says two other soldiers were wounded in the blast in Salahuddin province. The identities of the soldiers have been withheld pending notification of relatives.

Monday’s attack raises to at least 4,082 members of the U.S. military who have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003. That’s according to an Associated Press count.

Source: www.insight-info.com

Baghdad gunfire kills 11 Iraqis

At least 11 Iraqis have been killed when gunfire broke out after a roadside bombing in eastern Baghdad near Sadr City, police have said.

Sadr City itself remained calm, a day after some 10,000 Iraqi troops fanned out in the district in the government’s biggest move yet to establish control in the area.

Mahdi Army fighters were not visible in the streets of Sadr City, and long-closed shops began to reopen in parts of the district hardest hit by past clashes.

Iraqi soldiers and police are setting up more checkpoints to beef up their hold there.

MP/MMN

Source: www.insight-info.com

US Death Toll in Iraq Rises to 4,076

 

A US trooper has been killed in a road side blast in the Iraqi capital Baghdad increasing the total number of troops killed since the March 2003 invasion of the country to 4,076, the military said on Monday. The US military said in a statment that the victim was hit by an improvised explosives device while on a route clearing patrol in northwestern Baghdad on Sunday night. It said the soldier’s name was being withheld until his family could be informed. The blast was in an area outside Baghdad’s Sadr City where gunmen agreed to halt attacks from Sunday under a deal with the government. The latest US military death raised the number of US troops confirmed killed in Iraq to 4,076 since the invasion of the country in March 2003. The figure includes eight military civilians. The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Georgia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.

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