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6 U.S. troops killed in Iraq fighting

BAGHDAD - Five U.S. Marines were killed in fighting with al-Qaida-led insurgents near the Syrian border and an Army soldier died of wounds suffered in Baghdad, making Wednesday the second deadliest day for American forces in Iraq this month.

The soldier, from the Army's Task Force Baghdad, died of wounds suffered the day before when a roadside bomb exploded northwest of the capital, the U.S. command said. Three other soldiers were killed Tuesday in a roadside bombing in the same area. It was unclear if the soldier who died Wednesday was injured in the same attack.

The six deaths made Wednesday the deadliest day for American forces in Iraq since Nov. 2, when seven service members died in four separate attacks. At least 51 U.S. service members have died in Iraq this month.

For the Marines, it was the worst single-day loss since they launched an offensive Nov. 5 to push al-Qaida-led insurgents from a series of towns along the Euphrates River used by foreign fighters to slip into the country from Syria.

A Marine statement did not give any details of the Wednesday losses, and names of the victims were withheld pending notification of their families. They were assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2 of the 2nd Marine Division.

However, a New York Times reporter traveling with U.S. forces said an explosion occurred as a squad entered a farm house in Obeidi, 185 miles northwest of Baghdad. Insurgents then raked survivors and rescuers with small arms and grenade fire before other Marines could recover the dead and wounded and kill the attackers, the newspaper said.

Eleven Marines were wounded in the ambush, according to the Times reporter.

The Marine statement confirmed the five deaths but made no mention of wounded. The military also said 16 insurgents were confirmed killed in the fighting.

The latest deaths brought to at least 2,079 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

A top Interior Ministry official said Wednesday the 173 malnourished prisoners found by U.S. forces included all Iraqi sects, playing down allegations of a campaign by Shiite-led security forces to suppress Sunni Arabs ahead of next month's election.

The Shiite-led government sought to dampen Sunni outrage over revelations Tuesday by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari that the detainees, some showing signs of torture, were found last weekend by U.S. troops at an Interior Ministry lockup in the capital. Most were believed to be Sunni Arabs.

But the deputy interior minister, Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal, said the detainees also included Shiites, Kurds and Turkomen. He gave no breakdown.

At least four Iraqi police officers were treated at a Baghdad hospital for injuries they said they suffered in beatings by men who identified themselves as Interior Ministry commandos. The commandos had stopped them Monday on patrol in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood, the police said.

Still, the U.S. troops' discovery of the prisoners appears to have sent a jolt of optimism through Baghdad's disaffected Sunni minority.

"This is like a dream - the American forces free Iraqi prisoners tortured by the government?" said Huthayfa Mohammed, 20, a Sunni Arab who can't find his brother after Iraqi police detained him. "This is brand new."

The men weren't actually freed but were taken from the jail in Jadriyah in south central Baghdad and given medical treatment.

The U.S. military's discovery of the men is "an indication that the Americans would like to show the Iraqis how they are really trying to handle the whole situation in an even-handed policy and make them feel more confident in the American policy," said Dr. Hassan Bazzaz, a Sunni professor of political science and international affairs at Baghdad University.

Clinton's remarks came when he was taking questions about the U.S. invasion, which began in 2003. His response drew cheers and a standing ovation at the end of the hourlong session.

Clinton said the United States had done some good things in Iraq: the removal of Saddam Hussein, the ratification of a new constitution and the holding of parliamentary elections.

"The mistake that they made is that when they kicked out Saddam, they decided to dismantle the whole authority structure of Iraq. . . . We never sent enough troops and didn't have enough troops to control or seal the borders," Clinton said.

SADDAM ATTACKED BY COURT EMPLOYEES: Two court employees punched Saddam Hussein several times after he cursed two Shiite Islam saints, state-run Iraqi television reported Wednesday.

Iraqiya television, quoting people close to the investigative judges, did not say when the incident occurred. However, Hussein's lawyers said in July that their client was attacked during an interrogation session.

Information from Knight Ridder and the Associated Press was used in this report.