Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
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May 12, 2007

Five Troops in US-Led Patrol Killed, Three Missing in Attack South of
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Baghdad
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1771DF7:A6F02AD83191E160A3CD4DA01E072C089574F7DCC14957C0 Chief US military
spokesman says patrol of 7 US soldiers, an Iraqi interpreter was
attacked near Mahmoudiya The U.S. military says five soldiers were
killed and three are missing from a pre-dawn attack on a U.S.-led
coalition patrol south of Baghdad.







Major General William Caldwell Chief U.S. military spokesman Major
General William Caldwell said the patrol of seven U.S. soldiers and an
Iraqi army interpreter was attacked near Mahmoudiya.

A massive search is under way for the three missing soldiers.

Caldwell said nearby units heard explosions, and a drone plane later
observed burning vehicles. He said forces that arrived at the scene
found the five soldiers who were killed.

He did not say whether the five dead soldiers were all Americans, nor
did he disclose the fate of the Iraqi army interpreter.

In other news, the military says coalition forces detained three
suspected terrorists and destroyed a vehicle bomb during an operation
Saturday in Sadr City.

On Friday, the U.S. commander in northern Iraq said he does not have
enough manpower to secure the increasingly violent Diyala province.
Major General Benjamin Mixon made the remarks to reporters at the
Pentagon by videoconference.







Iraqi security forces man their checkpoint in downtown Baghdad, 11 May
2007In Baghdad Friday, suicide bombers killed at least 23 people and
wounded 60 others in two attacks. They struck checkpoints protecting
two bridges in the Zafaraniyah neighborhood.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.


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