European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 252007 stars and stripes Pace 9 Iraq Deputy pm wounded in car bomb blast by Sameer n Yacoub the associated press Baghdad Iraq Deputy prime minister a sunni who crossed the country sectarian Divide to join the shiite led govern ment was wounded Friday in a suicide bombing at a private mosque in the courtyard of his Home at least nine people were killed a Man wearing an explosives Vest himself up As Salam Al Rubaie one of two deputies to prime minister noun Almalik and other worshippers were Leav ing the mosque near the heavily fortified Green zone according to police and a sunni politician it came after a statement purportedly by an Al Aida umbrella group singled out the sunni Deputy prime minister As a Stooge to the crusader occupiers police said a car parked nearby exploded at about the same time Ziad Alani a top official from the sunni iraqi islamic party said Al Rubaie was in serious condition at the hospitals intensive care unit he said the politicians condition was worse than initially thought because shrapnel had penetrated his Chest Alani said the bomber blew himself up inside the mosque Dur ing the traditional weekly prayer service the room was devastated with debris and pools of blood covering the floor and Light fix Tures dangling from the ceiling the Walls were pockmarked from shrapnel also on Friday the us Mili tary reported that an american Soldier was killed by a Roadside bomb in Western Baghdad and a Marine died i combat in Anbar province both deaths occurred thursday the us military also said the armo backed Force that swept into the Ghazal Yah and Amariyah neighbourhoods on wednes Day found two weapons caches that included containers of nitric acid and chlorine a toxic Materi Al used recently by sunni insurgents in bomb attacks us military spokesman it col Christopher Garver said Al Rubaie was in a Hospital run by the us in the Green zone but would not comment on his Condi Tion nine people were killed in the attack including an adviser to the Deputy prime minister and 14 were wounded including five of Alz Baies bodyguards the adviser Mufeed was wounded and died later at the hos Pital equipped for swatting Monte and stripes a Well equipped us Soldier keeps flies and boredom at Bay recently while waiting for a Mission to begin in Baghdad a boy stands near a car destroyed in a bomb Mast As iraqis inspect it in Baghdad on Friday four people were killed and 19 were wounded in the blast colonel fuels insurgent Hunt by Lisa Burgess stars and stripes Arlington a the iraqi army fuel distribution process is so poor a us commander in Northern Iraq said Friday that he is giving them fuel from his own repositioned tankers Rattler than lose valuable opportunities to capture insurgents army col Stephen Twitty com Mander of the 4th brigade 1st Cav Alry division said that since he and his team of about 4000 sol Diers arrived in Mosul in Decem ber i can think of two Occa Sions where we were conducting operations and half of the 2nd iraqi army they were out of fuel on one of those missions Twitty told Pentagon reporters in a video conference from Mosul part of the operation had to be stopped we lost valuable opportunities to pick up a couple of bad Guys As a result of it he said after that incident in mid Anu Ary what weve Learned to do now is when we conduct operations up Here we preposition fuel tankers for the iraqi troops to use Twitty said so we do not go through that again Twitty said he is fully aware that he is doing an end run around proper procedures but Given the urgent Security situation what he is doing is Justi fied he said my intent is to Felep iraqis and the police on the streets at All times to protect the people twit Tys Aid the 4th brigade combat team is responsible for Nineveh prov Ince where 20000 members from the 2nd and 3rd iraqi army Divi Sions Are also assigned and work with the americans the Root of the fuel problem Twitty Saidis that in the iraqi army instead of fuel constantly coming based on the amount of time that vehicles Are being used the iraqi ministry of defense is sues fuel coupons once an iraqi army unit has used its allotment of fuel Twitty said it is not allowed to get More it is All Here is your fuel rations for the month now if you run out of fuel for that month of youre out of Luck he said Twitty patience ended after a carefully planned cordon and search operation in mid january went awry for Lack of fuel for iraqi trucks we were going after enemy terrorists that were Down there in a particular neighbourhood Twitty said and plans called for the entire 2nd iraqi division to participate he said when it came time to Roll out however an entire iraqi brigade didst have the Gas to Start its engines email Lisa Burgess at at least 69 Taliban killed in Southern Afghanistan by Amir Shah the associated press Kabul Afghanistan afghan forces launched what appeared to be their big Gest Independent operation Ever against the Taliban killing As Many As 69 militants in fighting in the South that also left seven police dead officials said Friday elsewhere in Southern Afghanistan suspected Taliban militants ambushed a con Voy of trucks heading to a nato base kill ing 13 afghans an official said the afghan army and police carried out a joint operation in the Gershk District of Helmand province thursday morning but Natoley troops were not involved in the operations said Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi the defense ministry spokesman Azimi on Friday said 49 Taliban bodies had been found in total up from a death toll he gave on thursday of 28 Azimi Esti mated the Overall militant death toll at 69 saying the Taliban had buried 10 bodies and taken 10 bodies from the Battlefield seven police were killed they showed the capacity and capability of Afghanistan National army without the help of foreign troops Azimi said it col Angela Billings a spokeswoman for natos International Security Assis Tance Force confirmed that Isaf troops did not participate in the operation which was part of a major push against a rising threat from the Taliban inspired insurgency in the country South theres More and More instances where were stepping Back further and fur ther As we continue with the training of the army and police said Billings about 4500 nato and 1000 afghan forces Are in and around Helmand prov Ince As part of operation Achilles launched earlier this month Taliban Mili Tants and foreign fighters the last several months have streamed into Helmand prov Ince the worlds leading opium producing Region according to us and nato officials operation Achilles has seen heavy fight ing Between British forces stationed in Hel Mand province and Taliban militants but neither nato or afghan officials have re ported any Large scale casualties among Taliban fighters during the operation violence in Afghanistan has spiked Over the last year with Taliban militants setting off a record number of Roadside and Sui cide attacks us and nato officials have said they expect violence to again increase this Spring and summer in uru Zgan province suspected Taliban militants ambushed a Convoy of six trucks delivering goods to a nato base in a re Mote and mountainous Region killing 12 private Security guards and a Driver said Shafiq Khan the chief of the private Security company