European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages stars and stripes wednesday april 18 2007 Emad iraqi policemen bring their wounded colleague to a Hospital on tuesday in Kirkuk Iraq the policeman was wounded when a Roadside bomb struck his patrol tuesday 17 bodies found in ramada in Baghdad another 25 corpses dumped by Bassem Mroue the associated press Baghdad police in Rama i on tuesday uncovered 17 de composing corpses buried be Neath two schoolyards in a District of the Anbar provincial Capi Tal that had until recently been under the control of Al Aida in Iraq fighters at least 85 people were killed or found dead in the country nearing the end of the ninth week of the Baghdad Security crackdown police maj Laith Aldulaimii said the adult bodies were discovered in ramada after students and teachers returned to the schools a week ago and noticed an increasingly putrid odor and stray dogs digging in the area ramada had been a sunni insurgent and an Al Aida stronghold until recently when the us forces in the Region and the iraqi government successfully negotiated with Many local tribal leaders to split them off from the More Mili Tant insurgent groups thousands of Young sunni men have joined the police Force in Anbar province and have taken up the fight against the islamic state of Iraq the umbrella organization that includes Al Aida in a sign that shiite death squads Are on the move again 25 bodies most tortured were found dumped in Baghdad on tuesday the three Day total after several weeks of much smaller numbers was 67 the higher death toil comes a Day after shiite cleric Muntada Alsa drs ordered his six Cabinet ministers to quit the government prime minister noun Almalik meanwhile said that his government was talking with some sunni insurgent groups including members of Saddam Hus skins former regime As he struggled to reconcile disaffected and violent bands of fighters us deaths in Iraq the associated press As of monday a least 3308 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 military civilians at least 2682 died As a result of hostile action according to the Mili Tarys numbers the a count is 12 higher than the defense departments tally last updated monday at 10 am Edt the British military has re ported 142 deaths Italy 33 Ukraine 18 Poland 19 Bulgaria 13 Spain 11 Denmark six Al Salvador five Slovakia four Latvia three Estonia nether lands Thailand two each and Australia Hungary kazakh Stan Romania one death each the latest deaths reported by the military a Soldier was killed Mon Day by an explosive in Southern Baghdad a Soldier was killed Mon Day by Small arms fire in South Western Baghdad a Soldier died monday when his vehicle was struck by an explosive in Southern Bagh dad two soldiers were killed saturday by an explosive in fal Lujah two marines were killed monday in Iraq the latest identifications re ported by the military Marine Lance Cpl Daniel j Santee 21 Mission Viejo Calif died saturday from a non hos tile vehicle Accident in Anbar province assigned to combat logistics regiment 272nd Marine logistics group ii Marine expeditionary Force Cample Jeu enc army sgt Larry r Bow Man 29 Granite Falls no died Friday in Baghdad after Bis vehicle struck an explosive As signed to the 513th transportation company 57th transportation battalion 593rd corps sup port group fort Lewis Wash h army Cpl Cody a Putnam 22lafayette lad killed thurs Day by an explosive in Baghdad assigned to the 1st Squadron 40th cavalry regiment 4th Bri Gade combat team 25th infantry division fort Richardson Alaska army pfc John g Borbon us 19 Boise Idaho killed thursday by an explosive in Baghdad assigned to the 1st Squadron 40th cavalry regi ment 4th brigade combat team 25th infantry division fort Richardson Alaska a group of senior sunni mus Lim clerics visited Iraq top Shi Ite cleric grand Ayatollah Ali Alsi Stani in Najaf they emerged from the meeting and said followers of the two sects were Brothers everybody aim is to extinguish the fire of strife in our coun try this is our Call to everyone said Sheik Mohammed Talaban head of the clerics association in Kurdistan Iraq sunni Mufti Sheik Jamaluddin Aldabbas said Alsis Tani sent his regards to All sunni scholars in the country we Call for Unity Aldabbas said a third cleric from the kurdish City of Erbil Sheik Ali Alkhafaji said our aim is Iraq Unity there is no difference Between sunnis and shiites they Are All our Brothers Almalik did not name the groups with which his government was in Contact but said he hoped the discussions had Laid the groundwork for reconciliation Dur ing a major meeting on Iraq scheduled May 34 in the egyptian re sort of Sharp Elsheikh we Are having meetings with groups that Are not part of the political pro Cess they asked us not to reveal their names Almalik said at his office in Baghdad Green zone Pace iranian made mortars explosives found in Afghanistan military says its not Clear whether weapons were shipped from Iran by Robert Burns the associated press forces in Afghanistan recently intercepted iranian made mortars and other weaponry in Afghani Stan although it is not Clear they were shipped directly from Iran the military top general said tuesday Gen Peter Pace chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said that unlike in Iraq where us officials say they Are certain that arms Are being supplied to insurgents by Iran secretive buds Force the iranian link in Afghanistan is murky it is not As Clear in Afghani Stan which Irani an entity is responsible but we have intercepted weapons in Afghanistan headed for the Tali ban that were made in Iran Pace told a group of reporters Over breakfast he said the weapons including mortars and c4 plastic explosives were intercepted in Kanda har province in Southern Afghani Stan within the past month he did not describe the Quantity of intercepted materials or say whether it was the first time american forces had found Ira Nia made arms Suthat country asked about paces remarks a Pentagon spokesman army col Gary Keck said he had not heard of previous instances of Irani an weaponry being found in Afghanistan but he was not certain this was the first time with regard to iranian activities in Iraq Pace said it is Clear that buds Force Mem Bers Are involved in the network that supplies materials to make Roadside bombs which Are a Lead ing killer of us troops in Iraq we know that there Are munitions that were made in Iran that Are in Iraq and in Afghanistan he said adding that it also is Clear that the buds Force reports to the iranian revolutionary guards which re ports directly to Iran supreme Leader Ayatollah All Khamenei we surmise from that one of two things either the Leader ship of the coun try knows what their armed forces Are doing or they dont know in either Case that s a problem Pace said ii we surmise from that one of two things either the leadership of the country knows what their armed forces Are doing or they dont know in either Case that a problem Gen Peter Pace chairman of the joint chiefs of staff officials iraqis killed by coalition forces not cops stars and stripes three iraqis who were killed by coalition forces monday were not police officers As originally thought officials said tuesday the individuals had been identified As police by someone who was wounded in the Exchange of gunfire Between iraqis and coalition forces according to officials at multinational Force Iraq and the iraqis had used a vehicle that resembled local iraqi police vehicles officials said the forces were on a raid North West of ramada to find members of Al Aida in Iraq two men in buildings shot at them and they fired Back officials say the wounded individual who was thought to be an iraqi police officer said the group consisted of police but the three dead men were dressed in traditional Ara Bic garb officials said tuesday the forces had notified actual iraqi police they were planning the raid the police were again alerted before the forces entered the area officials said though no further explanation was Given tuesday