FOUR U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED AS IRAQ TRANSITION GETS OFF TO ROCKY START

The much heralded transition from U.S. troops occupying Iraqi cities to Iraqi forces in charge of their own cities and towns got off to a rocky start when four U.S. soldiers were killed in Baghdad on Monday.

There have also been reported incidents of violence in many of the provinces across Iraq and many experts expect matters to get much worse now that U.S. troops have pulled back to garrisons outside of the Iraqi cities and towns.

War News for Tuesday, June 30, 2009
SOURCE: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

MNF-Iraq is reporting the deaths of four Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier from combat related injuries in an undisclosed neighborhood of Baghdad on Monday, June 29th. No other details were released.

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier from combat related injuries in an undisclosed neighborhood of Baghdad on Sunday, June 28th.

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Pfc. Peter K. Cross died in a vehicle accident Combat Outpost Carlyle, Afghanistan on Friday, June 26th.

The DoD is reporting another new death. Pvt. Steven T. Drees died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany on Sunday, June 28th. He was origionally injured by small arms fire/shot in the head in an undisclosed location in Konar Province, Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 24th.

Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:#1: Iraq’s Electricity Grid Protection Force on Tuesday dismantled a rocket launch base in the capital Baghdad, foiling an attempt to target an electricity station, according to an official spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity. The rockets were directed at the natural gas-powered electricity station of al-Quds in northeastern Baghdad, Spokesperson Aziz al-Shamri told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Diyala Prv:Khalis:#1: Police forces on Monday arrested a gunman while attempting to attach a sticky bomb to a civilian vehicle north of Baaquba city, Diala’s police commander said Monday. “The arrest took place in al-Khaliss suburb, 15 km north of Baaquba,” General Abdilhussein al-Shemmary told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “Experts were able to defuse the charge,” he said.

Amarra:#1: Bomb squad experts on Tuesday defused a car bomb in Missan province, according to a local security source. “The car with rigged with a large amount of explosives and parked near al-Hasnawi gas station (5 km south of Amara city),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Shurqat:#1: Two persons, including a serviceman, on Tuesday were killed when a group of gunmen attacked their vehicle in Salah al-Din province, according to a local police source. “This morning, unknown gunmen attacked a civilian vehicle carrying two persons, including a military serviceman, in downtown al-Shurqat district, killing them on the spot,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Kirkuk:#1: A roadside improvised explosive device (IED) on Tuesday was defused in southwestern Kirkuk, according to a source from the joint coordination center. “During an early hour this morning, a Multi-National Force (MNF) patrol vehicle found an explosive device on al-Matar St. near Tikrit square,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. Iraqi police forces have managed to defuse the device, the source noted, adding that no damage was reported.

Mosul:#1: An Iraqi army force killed a gunman on Tuesday in western Mosul, a source from Ninewa’s operations command said. “Iraqi army forces on Tuesday killed a gunman on Tuesday (June 30) while attempting to open fire on a soldier at a checkpoint in al-Islah al-Zeraai neighborhood in western Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The gunman was in possession of a gun of a former policeman who had been killed by gunmen,” he noted.

Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"#1: A suicide bomber dressed as a woman killed at least one person, identified as a child, and wounded eight in an attack on an Afghanistan-Pakistan border checkpoint on Tuesday, government officials and police said. Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the governor of eastern Nangarhar province, said the suicide bomber had crossed into Afghanistan from the Pakistan side of the border. Abdulzai put the death toll at two and said 10 were wounded. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said one person, a child, was killed, and at least eight wounded. Three police officers, including a female officer who worked at the border checkpoint searching women, were among the wounded, it said in a statement.