|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
|
May 26th,
2009 - Roadside Blast Kills 3 Americans in Western Iraq |
|
Roadside Blast Kills 3
Americans in Western Iraq By Robert H. Reid Associated Press May 26, 2009 Baghdad - A roadside bomb
blasted a U.S. convoy west of Baghdad, killing three Americans, including a
top reconstruction official who once headed the Illinois Commerce Commission,
U.S. authorities said Tuesday. The attack occurred Monday
on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah, which used to be the main stronghold of
Sunni insurgents until U.S. troops overran the city in November 2004 in the
bitterest urban fighting of the Iraq war. Since then, Fallujah, 40
miles (70 kilometers) west of Baghdad in Anbar province, has been among the
most heavily guarded cities in Iraq. A fatal attack in such an area
illustrates the resilience of the insurgents despite major setbacks on the
battlefield during the past two years. Those killed in the blast
included Terrence "Terry" Barnich, 56, deputy director of the State
Department office that oversees U.S. reconstruction projects in Iraq, as well
as a U.S. soldier and a Defense Department employee working for the U.S.
Embassy, according to a U.S. statement. Two other people were
wounded, the U.S. said. None of the victims except Barnich was identified. "We and all who are
working for a brighter future for Iraq condemn this terrible attack in the
strongest possible terms," U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill said in a
statement. "We remain committed as ever to helping Iraqis achieve the
peace, stability and prosperity that will make such acts of terror a thing of
the past." At least four U.S. civilians
have been killed in Iraq since Friday, when a defense contractor died in a
rocket or mortar attack near the U.S. Embassy and another was found stabbed
in his car. No arrests have been announced in the stabbing. Barnich's sister, Rochelle
Barnich, described her brother as a person with a great sense of humor who
had been fascinated with politics since they were children. Barnich's family
was notified of his death Monday. Barnich served as chairman
of the Illinois Commerce Commission from 1989 to 1992. He also worked as
chief counsel to former Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson and as a campaign manager
for Republican candidate Judy Baar Topinka when she ran for governor in 2006. He moved to Iraq in 2007 and
was an adviser to the Ministry of Electricity until he was hired as deputy
director of the Iraq Transition Assistance Office in Baghdad. Barnich had planned to stay
in Iraq for 11 months but extended his stay because he loved the work,
according to an associate, Craig Clausen. He planned to return to the United
States in July and assume his former job as CEO of the Chicago consulting
company New Paradigm Resources Group, according to Clausen. The convoy was returning to
Baghdad after inspecting a waste water treatment plant under construction in
Fallujah, the largest and most complex U.S. government-funded project in
Anbar province. The project has been
long-delayed by a litany of problems, including deficient contracting and
administration, suspected sectarian discrimination by the Iraqi central
government and poor contractor performance. Insurgents once held sway
over Fallujah and the rest of Anbar, the largest of Iraq's 18 provinces. The
city gained notoriety in 2004 when insurgents killed four employees of the
Blackwater security firm and hung their bodies from a bridge. Fighting raged in Anbar even
after U.S. troops captured Fallujah. But violence fell off dramatically two
years later when Sunni tribesmen turned against al-Qaida in Iraq and joined
forces with American troops. Last year, the U.S. military
withdrew from most of Anbar's cities, including Fallujah, well ahead of a
June 30 deadline for U.S. troops to leave Iraq's urban areas. Like many cities in Iraq,
Fallujah has a number of U.S.-supported reconstruction projects, many of them
aimed at improving essential services and promoting businesses. At least five other State
Department employees have been killed in Iraq, including Steven Farley, who
died in a June 2008 bombing at an Iraqi council building in Baghdad's Sadr
City. As of Monday, at least 4,301
members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March
2003, according to an Associated Press count. Associated Press Writers
Matthew Lee in Washington and Carla K. Johnson in Chicago contributed to this
report. Copyright © 2009 The Associated
Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hwK_CSpBxsNuVUEaDuOwmSSCiqGwD98E3SGG0 |