7 Marines Killed in Iraq's Anbar Province

Paul Garwood
Associated Press
13 December 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Seven U.S. Marines were killed in two separate incidents in Iraq (news - web sites)'s restive Anbar province, the military said Monday, a day after American warplanes pounded Fallujah with missiles as insurgents battled coalition forces in the city.

It was unknown if the deaths were connected to the fighting in the volatile western Iraqi city. In a statement, the military said the seven Marines with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died while conducting "security and stabilization operations" in Anbar province, a vast region that comprises Fallujah and Ramadi. The statement gave no other details about the deaths, saying the release of more information could place U.S. personnel at risk. The military had earlier reported another U.S. Marine death Sunday in Anbar.

As of Monday, at least 1,296 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Fallujah was the scene of a weeklong U.S.-led offensive last month to uproot insurgents based in the city. The latest violence began when American and Iraqi forces clashed with guerrillas in several suburbs and ended with U.S. airstrikes on suspected insurgent hideouts.

"The strikes were conducted throughout the day and were called in by troops in (armed) contact with and observing the enemy moving from house to house," spokesman Lt. Lyle Gilbert said.
Fallujah resident Abdullah Ahmed said the fighting started after U.S. soldiers brought 700-800 men into the city to clear rubble from damage caused by November's offensive. "The clashes started as soon as the young men entered the city," Ahmed said. "The American troops were surprised and decided to launch military operations."

Elsewhere, two insurgents died after detonating their explosives-packed car alongside an American M1 Abrams battle tank in Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad, at about 10:45 a.m., military spokesman Staff Sgt. Robert Powell said. No soldiers were wounded and the tank sustained negligible damage.

Four decapitated bodies in civilian clothes were found south of Baghdad and their identities were unclear, police said. The victims, believed to be Iraqis, were found in Haswa, about 25 miles south of the capital.

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Citation: Paul Garwood, "7 Marines Killed in Iraq's Anbar Province," Associated Press, 13 December 2004; Original URL:
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