European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 11, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages stars and stripes wednesday april 11 2007 us 2 helps hit not downed in Baghdad by Monte Morin and Joseph Glordon stars and stripes Baghdad during a raging Daylong Battle in Central Baghdad on tuesday 16 us troops were wounded four iraqi sol Diers were killed and two us military Heli copters were hit by ground fire officials said contrary to iraqi police reports Early in the Day and an internet posting the Heli copters were not downed the military said we have not had any helicopters shot Down today said it col Christopher Carver a military spokesman in Baghdad but a uh60 Black Hawk and an Apache gunship had been hit by Small arms fire while operating Over the City he said both returned safely to their bases and no one was injured officials said during the Baghdad Battle at least two iraqi soldiers and a child were killed a military statement said us and iraqi forces continued to work with attack Avia Tion assets throughout the Day to locate identify and engage and kill three insurgents targeting coalition and iraqi Security forces in the area the fierce fighting in Central Baghdad shut Down the sunni dominated Fadyl and Sheik Omar neighbourhoods just after 7 am the us military said after Ameri can and iraqi troops came under fire Dur ing a routine search operation helicopter gunships swooped in engaging insurgents with machine gun fire the fighting caused huge traffic jams in Central Baghdad in the internet posting on tuesday a pre piously unknown iraqi insurgency group calling itself iraqi Hamas claimed that it had shot Down a helicopter Over Baghdad the posting claimed that one of the Bri Gades of Hamas in Iraq shot Down a us Apache helicopter and struck a second one in the Alfadl District of Baghdad since january at least nine us helicopters have gone Down in Iraq some were struck by enemy fire the most recent crash was april 5 when a Black Hawk crashed near Latif Yah about 20 Miles South of Baghdad four of the nine people aboard were injured while the others were unhurt the use of helicopters to ferry troops and supplies throughout Iraq has in creased enormously Over the past two years owing mostly to the dangers of Road Side bombs in 2005 us army aircraft Fiew 240000 hours in 2006 they flew 334000 hours while this year they Are expected to Fly 400000 since 2004 us helicopters have been fired on about 100 times a month a senior us military officer said in a february briefing in Baghdad the helicopters Actu ally Are struck by fire roughly 17 times a month maj Gen Jim Simmons Deputy commander for support of multinational corp Iraq said in the briefing the associated press contributed to this report email Joseph Giordono acc email Monte Morin at at least 16 die in suicide blast the associated press Baghdad a woman with explosives hidden beneath her Black Abaya detonated them tuesday in a crowd of about 200 police recruits killing at least 16 people police and Hospital officials said the woman walked into the crowd at the main Gate of the mud Aliyah police station and blew herself up Accord ing to a police officer at the scene who spoke on the condition of anonymity at least 16 people were killed and 33 wounded in the mostly sunni Muslim City about 60 Miles Northeast of Bagh dad said or Abdul Salam Aljbour at mud Aliyah general Hospital a parked car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near Baghdad University killing at least six people and wound ing 11 police said the bomb was packed into a yellow taxi near Campus and All of those Hurt were civilians police said a Katusha rocket hit a basketball court at a boys school in Eastern Bagh dad killing a 6yearold boy and wounding 17 others students and two teachers police said the us military announced the deaths monday of four us soldiers three killed by a Roadside bomb and a secondary explosion in Southeastern Baghdad and another killed in combat in Western Anbar province also tuesday the us military said it captured More than 150 suspected insurgents rocket propelled grenades and launchers automatic machine guns sniper rifles and antitank mines in an operation North of Baghdad Adil a boy looks at a blast Hole tuesday after a rocket landed at an East Baghdad school iraqi Leader no timetable for withdrawal prime minister Nouri Almalik on a fou Day trip to Japan on tuesday said there was no need to set a timetable for the withdrawal of us troops from his country we see no need for a withdrawal timetable we Are working As fast As we can Almalik said to demand the departure of the troops is a demo cratic right and a right we respect what governs the departure at the end of the Day is How confident we Are in the handover process what counts he added Are achieve ments on the ground his comments came a Day after tens of thousands of iraqis took to the streets of two shiite holy cities de manding that us forces leave the country the massive rally called for by shiite cleric Muntada a Sadr marked the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad a Sadr who remains in seclusion and did not attend ordered up the March As a show of strength not Only to Washington but to Iraq establish ment shiite ayatollahs As Well he issued a statement sunday urging his Mahdi army militia to Redou ble efforts to expel us forces and for the police and army to join the Strug Gle against your Archenemy from the associated press Pentagon could extend Iraq stay of up to 15000 troops the associated press Washington the Pentagon is considering a plan to extend the Tours of duty for up to 15000 us troops serving in Iraq a defense official said monday the idea is among options being considered in response to a request in the last couple of weeks by Gen David Petraeus us commander in Iraq said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the idea has not been approved because Petraeus believes the troop increase president Bush announced in january has produced some momentum in fighting violence in Iraq Petraeus wants to maintain troops at that level past the summer the official said defense officials Are looking at the idea of a maximum 120day Extension for five Active duty brigades that would otherwise come Home in the coming ground units and one aviation combat brigade totalling roughly 15000 troops the official said the plan would have to be approved by defense Secretary Robert Gates Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said tuesday that the extensions under consideration Are one tool command ers May employ if the Bush administration decides to maintain or increase cur rent us troop Levels in Iraq beyond a gust he said another option is to deploy some units to Iraq sooner than planned there Are options and people Are looking at options he said there Are currently some 145000 us troops in Iraq the equivalent of 20 brigade combat teams also on monday officials said some 13000 National guard troops Are receiving notice to prepare for possible deploy ment to Iraq which would be the second tour for several thousand of them stars and stripes reporter Lisa Burgess contributed to this report us deaths in Iraq the associated press As of monday at least 3281 members of the us military have died since the beginning of the Iraq War in March 2003 according to an associated press count the figure includes seven Mili tary civilians at least 2641 died As a result of hos tile action according to the military numbers the a count is 14 higher than the defense departments tally last updated monday at 10 am not the British military has reported 140 deaths Italy 33 Ukraine 18 Poland 19 Bulgaria 13 Spain 11 Denmark six Al Salvador five Slova Kia four Latvia three Estonia Netherlands Thailand two each and Australia Hungary Kazakhstan Romania one death each the latest deaths reported by the military no deaths reported the latest identifications reported by the Mili tary army sgt Todd a Singleton 24 Muskegon Mich died sunday in Baghdad of wounds suffered by an explosive and Small arms fire was As signed to the 2nd battalion 5th cavalry regi ment 1st brigade 1st cavalry division fort Hood Texas army sgt Adam p Kennedy 25 Norfolk mass died sunday in Diw Aniyah of wounds suffered from indirect fire was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters company 4th brigade combat team 25th infantry division fort Richardson Alaska three sailors were killed Friday in combat near Kirkuk assigned to explosive ordnance disposal unit 11 we obey Island Wash killed were Navy chief Petty officer Gregory j Bil liter 36 Villa Hills by Navy Petty officer 2nd class Curtis r Hall 24 Burley Idaho Navy Petty officer 1st class Joseph a Mcsween 26 of Valdosta a army staff sgt Jerry c Burge 39 Carriere miss killed wednesday in Taji when his vehicle struck an explosive assigned to the 2nd Battal Ion 8th cavalry regiment 1st brigade combat team 1st cavalry division fort Hood Texas army Cpl Joseph h Cantrell in 23 Ash land by killed wednesday in Taji when his vehicle struck an explosive assigned to the 2nd Bat Talion 8th cavalry regiment 1st brigade com Bat team 1st cavalry division fort Hood Texas army pfc Walter Freeman or 20 Lancaster Calif killed wednesday in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an explosive 2nd battalion 12th infantry regiment 2nd brigade combat team 2nd infantry division fort Carson Colo army pfc Derek a Gibson 20 Eustis Fla killed wednesday in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an explosive 2nd battalion 12th infantry regiment 2nd brigade combat team 2nd infantry division fort Carson Colo three soldiers were killed Friday in Bagh dad when their vehicle struck an explosive As signed to the 1st battalion 18th infantry regi ment 2nd brigade combat team 1st infantry division Schweinhart Germany killed were army capt Anthony Palermo or 26 Brockton mass army pc Ryan s Dallam 24 Norman okla army pvt Damian Lopez Rodriguez Tucson Ariz