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15 Americans killed in 3 days in Iraq

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 4, 2006

The U.S. military announced Tuesday the deaths of nine soldiers and two Marines, bringing to at least 15 the number of service members killed in fighting since Saturday. Violence across Iraq on Tuesday claimed 52 lives. Some 400 Sunnis marched Tuesday in Baghdad at the site of one of two mass kidnappings this week, demanding the government put a stop to the violence.

Cleric's slain cousin

The Sunni Arab militant group Ansar al-Sunnah claimed responsibility Tuesday for killing a cousin of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in a drive-by shooting last week. The killing raised worries of retaliation by Sadr's Mahdi Army, one of the most powerful Shiite militias in Iraq, blamed for slayings of Sunnis in sectarian violence that has raged for months. But the head of Sadr's office said the group would not seek revenge. The Interior Ministry said the police commander for the district had been discharged and arrested for investigation in the kidnapping.

Hussein trial

Judges on Tuesday postponed their verdict in Saddam Hussein's trial over a 1982 crackdown on Shiites in Dujail, a long-awaited decision that once held out the hope of healing Iraq's wounds but now threatens to spark even more sectarian violence. The verdict had been expected on Oct. 16 but was delayed until at least the end of the month while judges take extra time to review the evidence and make sure their case is airtight. A second trial of the former Iraqi leader began Aug. 21 on genocide charges for a 1987-1988 crackdown against Kurdish rebels.

Red Cross inspections

The international Red Cross said Tuesday it has visited a new U.S. prison at Camp Cropper outside Baghdad and had its first opportunity in more than 20 months to see hundreds of former Abu Ghraib prisoners now housed there. The Geneva-based organization made no comment on conditions at the prison, which holds about 3,550 detainees - believed to be a quarter of the prisoners the United States detains outside its borders. The agency insists on conveying any concerns only to the government authorities holding the prisoners it sees.

[Last modified October 4, 2006, 01:05:47]