European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 27, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 2007 stars and stripes Mideast edition Page 3 Karim an iraqi Man walks near bombed cars after airstrikes on the Sadr City District of Baghdad on the airstrikes hit a Gas causing widespread damage to 10 killing three people and wounding eight the police americans capture key figure in Sadr City raid by Ravi Nessman the associated press Alasad air Iraq As part of the Security crackdown in Ameri can forces raided the shiite neigh boyhood of Sadr City Early Satur Day and captured a suspected terrorist cell who helped smuggle armo Pierc ing bombs from the Mil itary said in after the around 2 and iraqi forces called in air strikes on nine cars that were seen positioning themselves to at tack american killing five suspected the military an iraqi police official said the strikes hit 10 cars in line to buy killing three civilians and wounding eight the official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to release the inform Iraq prime minis the commander and the american ambassador flew to the blistering Western iraqi desert saturday in a rare joint Outing to highlight strides made in the fight against insurgents in the sunni dominated Anbar prov once the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the Anbar which includes the Cit ies of fal Lujah and ramada has grown Calmer in recent months with the flowering of a new Alli Ance among sunni tribal the iraqi government and led Al Aida in Iraq is still Active in the province and continues to carry out devastating military officials we Are not saying Anbar prov Ince is All sweetness and there Are still a lot of said David the commander in iraqi prime minister Nouri ambassador Ryan Crocker and Petraeus had planned to travel saturday to an Anbar town on the Syri an to meet with tribal leaders and Survey a million Border terminal under construction but Low visibility prevented their aircraft from completing the and they could Only reach the Al Asad air base in Anbar Almalik accompanied by Sev eral of his Cabinet met with the Anbar governor and police and army chiefs for Security Crocker and Petraeus received a briefing from local and praised the efforts to reduce Crocker said he hoped planned provincial elections which cant be held until parliament agrees on a new election Law will Cement the Anbar province tribes participation in govern ment and their loyalty to the new iraqi Petraeus warned that the Situa Tion in Anbar May not be a Realis tic blueprint for restoring order in the rest of the because the province is heavily sunni and has been spared much of the Sec tarian violence roiling other the biggest lesson Learned in Iraq is that every place is he deaths Iraq As of at least members of the military have died since the beginning of the Iraq War in March according to an associated press the figure includes seven military at least died As a result of hostile according to the Mili Tarys the a count is 10 higher than the defense departments last updated Friday at 10 the British military has re ported 149 deaths 33 18 20 bulgar 13 11 seven Al five Slova four three Esto two each and Hun South one death the latest deaths reported by the military a Soldier was killed by Small arms fire thursday in Dyala two soldiers were killed thursday by an explosion in a Soldier was killed Friday in a Roadside bombing in my a Marine died Friday of noncombat related causes in Anbar a Soldier was killed Friday by Small arms fire in the latest identifications re ported by the military army staff Kristopher Texas died tuesday in Taji of wounds suffered when an explosive detonated near his unit assigned to the 4th 9th infantry 4th 2nd infantry division Stryker Bri Gade combat fort army Robert War died tuesday in Taji of wounds suffered when an explosive detonated near his unit assigned to the 4th 9th infantry 4th 2nd in Fantry division Stryker Bri Gade combat fort army Robert Mont Gomery died in of wounds suffered when an explosive detonated near his unit assigned to the 1st 40th cavalry 4th Bri Gade combat team air 25th infantry fort army Benjamin died thursday in of wounds suffered when an explosive detonated near his vehicle assigned to the 1st Battal 5th Field artillery regi 1st 1st infantry fort army Robert dem died thursday in of wounds suffered from Small arms fire assigned to the 1st 504th Para Chute infantry 1st brigade combat 82nd airborne fort army Joseph Anzack his body was recently recovered captured May 12 by enemy forces in Al Tara assigned to the 4th 31st infantry 2nd brigade com Bat 10th Mountain Divi fort Afghanistan and other areas As of least 325 members of the military have died in Paki Stan and Uzbekistan As a result of the invasion of Afghani Stan in late according to the defense the department last updated its figures May of the military reports 203 were killed by hostile a outside the afghan the defense department re ports 62 More members of the military died in support of operation enduring of two were the result of hostile the military lists these other locations As Guantanamo Bay naval Cuba Djibouti Eri trea Jordan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Philippines Seychelles Sudan Tajikistan tur key and there were also four Cia officer deaths and one military civilian the latest deaths reported by the military no deaths the latest identifications re ported by the military no identifications report from the associated press report White House weighs cutting combat troops in Iraq by As much As 50 stars and stripes White House officials Are considering cutting combat troop Levels in Iraq by As much As 50 percent in the sunup to the 2008 presidential according to the new York citing senior unnamed Bush administration the times reported the Bush administration is laying the plans because it is anticipating pressure on the Republican party Over the War in the concept under consideration Calls for reducing troop Levels to about from about the latest available Fig which the military reported on May the times one of the officials would be to reduce the current 20 american combat brigades to about which would be completed Between the Spring of 2008 and the end of the the last time there were so few Ameri can troops in Iraq was january when the number briefly fell to about the Story White House officials also Are consider ing shifting troops away from the counterinsurgency missions in Baghdad and Anbar which have been the focus of efforts since january when president Bush first ordered the the times the troops who remain in Iraq would shift their focus in 2008 to train ing iraqi Security forces and fighting the times the senior officials said that despite pres sure from Capitol including some re there Are no indications Bush is ready to Call an Early halt to the troop in which int scheduled to be com plete until the Story Bush officials May be leaking some of their discussions about Long Range strategies in Iraq As a Way to reassure lawmakers that troop reductions Are under consideration at the White army David Petraeus and Raymond Iraq two top both of whom supported the troop Are developing their own the times