Bomb destroys bridge used by troops, Iraqis

By The Associated Press Comments 1
Published: October 18, 2009

BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber driving a dynamite-laden truck destroyed a key bridge Saturday on a highway used by the departing U.S. military, while separate attacks killed nine Iraqis, most of them security force members, police said.

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U.S. CASUALTIES

• Marine Lance Cpl. Alfonso Ochoa Jr., 20, Armona, Calif., died Saturday while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.

• Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Taylor, 27, Bovey, Minn., died Friday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

• Army Spc. George W. Cauley, 24, Walker, Minn., died Saturday in Bagram, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive on Oct. 7 in Helmand province.

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Troops may shift course

The Pentagon is canceling plans to dispatch a 3,500-member Army brigade to Iraq, a move that speeds the drawdown and could free up forces as President Barack Obama considers sending more troops to Afghanistan. The U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, wants 40,000 more sent to Afghanistan.

Three killed in bombings

A NATO statement said two U.S. troops were killed Friday in a bombing in eastern Afghanistan. A third U.S. service member died the same day in a bombing in the south.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

There were no casualties in the blast that destroyed the bridge outside the city of Ramadi, which is about 70 miles (125 kilometers) west of Baghdad, said a local police officer. The highway is used heavily by the U.S. military to transport equipment out of the country and is also a major roadway for civilian traffic.

The highway links Iraq to neighboring Syria and Jordan — nations where many Iraqis fled to escape sectarian violence.

Attacks still continue

Also Saturday, an attack on an Iraqi army convoy just outside of the city of Fallujah killed four Iraqi soldiers and wounded 14, said a police officer in the city, which is about 40 miles west of Baghdad.

Both of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to speak to journalists.

A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq’s western Anbar province confirmed Saturday’s explosion on the highway bridge, which was close to two Iraqi military bases that host U.S. troops in the area.

Lt. Col. Curtis L. Hill said U.S. forces have "previously used the bridge,” but he would not say what impact its destruction might have on U.S. military convoys.