TALAFAR, Iraq -- The U.S. military repulsed two suicide attacks on American bases Tuesday -- one here in the far north and a second in Baghdad -- thwarting bombers with stepped-up defenses after a series of deadly suicide attacks stretching back to August.
"Near Fallujah, 30 miles west of the capital, witnesses said guerrillas hit a U.S. reconnaissance helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, forcing it to make a hard landing. The two crew members walked away, the military said. "
The attack on this base 30 miles north of Mosul occurred at 4:45 a.m. when an explosives-packed car drove to the base gate. Guards there and in a watchtower opened fire on the vehicle. Moments later it exploded, leaving a large crater just outside the base gate.
Col. Michael Linnington, commander of the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, which controls the Mosul region and the area west to the Syrian border, said the attacker's remains were "all over the compound."
Maj. Trey Cate, spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division, said 59 soldiers were injured.
"Eight soldiers were medically evacuated, of which four were sent to Baghdad," Cate said. The other 51 soldiers were slightly injured by debris and flying glass, he said.
Several Iraqis were injured, including a translator at the base. The blast damaged nearby homes. A 2-year-old girl was among many civilians hurt by flying glass.
Later Tuesday, the second suicide attacker blew himself up outside a U.S. Army compound near Baghdad, slightly injuring two soldiers, the military said.
A man acting suspiciously walked toward the gates of the base in Husseiniya, 15 miles northeast of Baghdad, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, a U.S. military spokeswoman. When military police opened fire after the man refused to stop, he blew himself up.
Suicide attackers in Iraq have seldom, if ever, attempted attacks with explosives attached to their bodies. Vehicle bombs have been the norm.…
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/iraq/sns-ap-iraq,1,4003789.story
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