European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 4, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages stars and stripes june 2007 3 children killed in strike in Iraq Baghdad three Chil Dren were killed Friday during a attack on suspected Mili Tants trying to Plant Roadside bombs in the volatile Anbar the military the deaths of the Ages and occurred after an american tank Crew fired at three men who were believed to be placing the explosives on a major Highway Southeast of 40 Miles West of Bagh the military it was not immediately Clear whether they died from the at tack or secondary blasts from explosive materials at the site and the military said the Inci Dent was under the associated press a iraqi Man carries ceiling fans sunday in front of destroyed buildings after a minibus bomb exploded in the shiite dominated neighbourhood of Khalid Mohammed a 14 gis killed in Iraq in three Days coalition forces clash with a Sadr militia by Hamid Ahmed the associated press Baghdad fourteen american soldiers were killed in three deadly Days in the military said including four in a single Roadside bombing and one who was struck by a suicide bomber while on a foot patrol Southwest of the the blast that killed the four soldiers occurred sunday As the troops were conducting a cordon and search operation Northwest of the iraqi according to a two other soldiers from multinational Divi Sion Baghdad were killed and five were wounded along with an iraqi interpreter in two separate Roadside bombings on the military one Soldier was killed Fri Day after the patrol approached two men for questioning near a and one of the suspects blew himself according to a state seven others troops were killed in a series of attacks across Iraq on As jets roared Mahdi army militiamen on sunday battled with iraqi troops and local police searching for two militia leaders in the Southern City of i at least three people were killed and 24 official iraqi sources the Southern clashes came just hours after american helicopter gunships attacked tar gets in Mahdi army dominated shiite East killing four suspected the military As the Radical shiite militia faced growing pressure to Bow to Central government in another a car parked near a police station and an open air Market exploded sunday in Balad Northeast of Bagh killing nine civilians and one policeman and wounding 25 other police the latest round of bloodshed came As Pri vate talks were reported Between Alsa drs Mahdi militia and iraqi government officials to win the release of five britons kidnapped last tuesday from Baghdad finance London sunday quoting an unidentified senior iraqi government said Alsa drs representatives were demanding an end to assassination attempts against militia an end to British army patrols in the Southern shiite City of and the release of nine Mahdi officials from British and Alsa drs office denies involvement in the kidnappings of four Security guards and a computer but the times reported an a Sadr official visited prime minister Nouri Almalik to Tell him the men were Safe and sound but would not be free until the de mands were Alma Likis office on sunday denied a meeting took Gates says Afghanistan headed in the right direction by Robert Burns the associated press Afghanistan despite a Rise in insurgent violence this defense Secretary Robert Gates said sunday he is convinced that american and nato forces Are making steady Progress against the i think actually things Are cautiously headed in the right Gates told in concerned to keep it moving that he spoke during a flight to the afghan capital from where he attended a Security the Pentagon chief had urged asian nations to provide More troops or other forms of support for for Gates has expressed concern about possible reversals in which still lacks a self sustaining military and suffers from the unmet expectations of building an effective Central govern on Gates appeared More though still about maintaining momentum against the Taliban and overcoming the economic and political obstacles that have bedevilled Afghanistan for violence Levels have risen since Gates first trip to afghan Stan in but the Taliban offensive has gained Little of a a senior defense official travelling with Gates told Jonathan defense Secretary Robert Gates will visit commanders and afghan president Hamid Karzai while in to try to isolate certain portions of the main afghan Highway known As the ring the official Dis cussed analysis of recent trends in the conflict on condition he not be Gates did not Rule out that the Taliban could intensify their attacks this other officials have asserted that the Radical islamic movement is begin Ning to gain assistance from neighbouring in contrast to Gates moderately optimistic com ments about a Washington think tank said in a March study the Overall situation has the Center for strategic and inter National studies on the basis of interviews with hundreds of that they Are More Inse cure now than in 2005 when the Cen Ter did a similar Gates said he Felt compelled to visit the country so he could meet with army Dan the commander of natos International Security assistance and ambassador William both men have assumed their posts since Gates visited in in looking Forward to getting their assessment of How they think things Are Gates both in terms of military action against the but also the economic development and he said he also would meet with president Hamid Gates said he planned to Tell Wood and the commanders about his conversations in where he asked some asian nations that already have reporters it was believed the Taliban had intended to military forces or civilian support teams in Afghani target the Southern City that was a Strong Stan to extend their stay or to increase their contrib hold before forces invaded in october and he did not mention any countries by 2 dead in ambush on nato Convoy Afghanistan suspected militants ambushed a nato Convoy in Eastern Afghani killing two members of the Alliance and wounding seven while 15 suspected Mili Tants were killed by officials said the Convoy was attacked Satur Day with Small arms and Rock a propelled natos International Security assistance Force it said a service Mem Ber and a translator were the Isaf statement did not give any details about the location of the attack or the nationalities of the in Eastern Khost militants attacked a police checkpoint in Yaqubi District on saturday and the ensuing clash left 12 militants a statement from the Interior minis try also police clashed with Taliban militants in neigh Boring Patika provinces Shakin leaving three suspected insurgents said Shamai spokesman for the Gover from the associated press 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 military the a count is 16 higher than the defense depart ments last updated Fri Day at 10 the British military has re ported 149 deaths 33 18 20 bul 13 11 seven Al five Slova four three Esto two each and Hun South one death the latest reported by the military a Soldier was killed wednesday by a Roadside bomb in Baghdad the latest identifications re ported by the a military army Chadrick died thursday in Baghdad of wounds suffered from Small arms fire assigned to the 1st 23rd infantry regi 3rd 2nd infantry division Stryker brigade combat fort Afghanistan and other areas As of at 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 department the department last updated its Fig ures May of the military re ports 203 were Kurt de by hos tile outside the afghan the defense department re ports 62 More members of the military died in support of operation end Biog of two were the result of hostile the military other locations As Guantanamo Bay naval Cuba Djibouti Eritrea Jordan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Philippines Seychelles Sudan Tajikistan tur key and there were also flour Ajja of Fleer deaths and military civilian the latest deaths reported by the military a Soldier Friday of an undetermined the latest identifications re ported by the Miu tary no report from the Assoc