European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 30, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 stars and stripes monday april 30 2007 blasts Rock us reports deaths of 9 troops toll up in Karbala bombing by Thomas Wagner the associated press forces fired an artillery barrage in Southern Baghdad sunday morning rocking the capital with loud explosions the death toll from a suicide car bomb attack in the shiite holy City of Karbala Rose to 68 As residents dug through the debris of heavily damaged shops the blasts in Baghdad came a Day after the us military announced the deaths of nine american troops including four killed in separate Roadside bombings South of Baghdad and five in fighting in Anbar province a sunni in surgent stronghold West of the capital american troops also detained 72 suspected insurgents and seized nitric acid and other bomb making materials Dur ing raids on sunday targeting Al Aida in Iraq in Anbar province a sunni insurgent stronghold West of the capital and Salahuddin province a volatile sunni area Northwest of the capital the us military said the size and the pattern of the explosions which began after 9 am and lasted for at least 15 minutes suggested they were directed at sunni militant neighbourhoods along the cites Southern rim such blasts have been heard in the evenings but Are rare at that time of Day in a Brief statement to the associated press the us military said it fired the artillery from a Forward operating base near Iraq Rasheed military base Southeast of Baghdad but provided no other details authorities in Northern Iraq imposed an indefinite curfew in the sunni Strong hold of Samarra after leaflets signed by rival insurgent groups threatened policemen if they did not quit their jobs and promised to target any Oil company that wants to explore in the area the warnings to the policemen were signed by Al Aida in Iraq and threatened to de Ghassan friends and relatives carry coffins of victims of the previous Days car bomb blast during their funeral in Karbala 50 Miles South of Baghdad on sunday major attacks in Karbala april 28 a parked car explodes near the Imam Hussein shrine As worshippers head to the area for evening prayers killing 68 and wound nig dozens april 14 a car bomb blasts through a Busy bus station near the Imam Hussein shrine killing 47 people and wounding 224 Jan 20 gunmen wearing military uniforms attack a provincial Headquarters in Karbala kill ing five american soldiers at a us iraqi meet ing to discuss Security measures ahead of the major shiite mourning festival of ashoura feb 25 2006 a car bomb explodes in the North of Karbala near a gathering of people Cook ing food to commemorate the death of a shiite Imam killing at least six and wounding scores Jan 5 2006 a suicide blast near the Imam Hussein shrine kills 63 and wounds 120 dec 27 2004 suicide bombers and assail ants with mortars and grenade launchers blast the governors office and coalition military bases in coordinated attacks killing 19 people and wounding nearly 200 dec 19 2004 a car bomb explodes at Kar Balas main bus station killing 13 people and wounding 33 March 2 2004 a suicide bomber kills at least 85 people and wounds 230 at the Imam Hus Sein shrine where tens of thousands of pilgrims were gathered for ashoura nov 4 2003 an explosion near the Imam Hussein shrine kills at least one person and in Jures the associated press us deaths in Iraq As of saturday at least 3346 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 2720 died As a result of hostile action according to the military the a count is seven higher than the defense departments tally last updated Friday at 10 am the British military has reported 145 deaths Italy 33 Ukraine 18 Poland 20 Bulgaria 13 Spain 11 Denmark six Al Salvador five Slovakia four Latvia three Estonia Netherlands Thailand two each and Australia Hungary Kazakhstan Romania one each the latest deaths reported by the military three soldiers were killed Friday in Anbar province two marines were killed Friday in Anbar province three soldiers were killed saturday by a Roadside bomb Southeast of Baghdad a Soldier was killed saturday by a Roadside bomb South of Baghdad the latest identifications reported by the Mili tary Marine Lance Cpl Adam e Loggins 27 Athens Ala died thursday in Anbar province assigned to 3rd battalion 6th regiment 2nd Marine division ii Marine expeditionary Force Camp Lejeune no stray their houses if they didst comply leaflets signed by a separate insurgent umbrella group calling itself the Mujahideen of Samar a warned against Oil exploration in the area the blast in Karbala 50 Miles South of Bagh dad took place saturday evening in a crowded commercial area about 200 Yards from the shrines of Imam Abbas and Imam Hussein major shiite saints the shrines some of the country most sacred were not damaged police said Salim Kazim the spokesman for Karbala health directorate said the casualty figures had risen to 68 dead after some of the wounded died and More bodies were found on the roofs of build Ings or in the rubble and 178 were wounded attack was the second car bomb to strike the cites Central area in two weeks afghans protest after raid kills civilians by Rahim Faiez the associated press Kabul Afghanistan hundreds of angry protesters chanting death to Bush demonstrated in Eastern Afghanistan after six peo ple including a woman and a teenage girl were reportedly killed when used coalition Ana afghan forces raided a suspected car bomb cell Early sunday the us said four militants were among the dead but it was the civilian deaths that infuriated the protesters who carried five bodies to a main Highway and blocked traffic with felled Trees during the demonstration their operation was based on incorrect reports and they car ried out a cruel attack on these houses said local resident Akhtar Mohammad at the pro test we Are not the enemy afghan officials have repeatedly pleaded with the United states and nato to take care during operations that might harm civilians and the latest violence is sure to deepen distrust among afghans Abdul Mohammad a hangar har police investigator said the operation Early sunday in the Bati kit District left five civilians dead including two women the differing figures could not immediately be reconciled and it could not be verified if the dead men were militants or not acting on a tip indicating that the cell was planning three Sui cide car bomb attacks against coalition forces in the coming weeks coalition and afghan forces jointly raided the compound the coalition statement said the coalition said that after being fired upon the coalition forces returned fire killing four militants an adult woman and a teenage girl another child and teenage girl were also wounded during the gunfight and Are being treated at a coalition facility coalition forces found several guns and bomb making Materi als and detained one Man from the compound for questioning the coalition said it arrested four other suspects and discovered More bomb making Materi als elsewhere in the area sunday Mohammad the Nang arhar director of police criminal investigations said the operation targeted three houses and that six people were arrested poppy eradication team attacked in Afghanistan by Raul Gallego the associated press Tarm Kowt Afghanistan afghan and us Security officials were attacked with Small arms rocket propelled grenade and mor tar fire sunday As they hacked away at opium poppies in Southern Afghanistan we Are taking fire said a panic stricken voice Over a radio the afghan and us agents in Afghanistan is the biggest producer of opium poppy in the world operation fled on foot Al terrain vehicles and helicopters four afghans were wounded in the at tack said natos International Security assistance Force at a base in Southern uru Zgan prov Ince an associated press television correspondent was filming when the attack took place they Are Tali ban they Are fight ing us an afghan agent said As bullets whizzed past solved in the poppy eradication sundays attack underscores the danger the counter narcotics teams face in the South after the eradication operation was launched a Day earlier in the area Afghanistan is the biggest pro Ducer of opium poppy in the world yielding enough to pro Duce 90 percent of the worlds Supply of heroin officials say the Taliban Are raking in millions of dollars through poppy taxes the us government estimates the opium Trade generates s3 billion Afghanistan opium crop grew a record 59 percent in 2006 to 407000 acres yielding enough to make 610 tons of heroin Western and afghan officials say they expect a similar crop this year Rafiq an police men destroy the opium poppies during poppy eradication operations in Tarin Kowt in a Ruzan Afghanistan on sunday