Car bomb kills nine as poll results released

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb outside a Shi'ite mosque in Baghdad killed at least nine people on Friday, apparently timed to coincide with election results confirming the new political dominance of Iraq's long-oppressed Shi'ites.

It exploded as worshippers were leaving a Shi'ite mosque after prayers in Baghdad's notorious Doura district, one of the most dangerous areas of the city, underlining the security crisis facing the new government.

"A huge explosion took place and I saw the bodies of old men and youths scattered about. Criminals are trying to use sectarianism among Sunnis and Shi'ites; God and his Prophet won't accept that," said Taha Hussein, who witnessed the blast.

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Bombs kill eight Afghan troops, hurt four Canadian soldiers

KABUL (AFP) - Eight Afghan soldiers were killed and four Canadian soldiers lightly hurt in a series of roadside bomb attacks in insurgency-hit
Afghanistan, government and military officials said.

Two Afghan soldiers were killed early Friday in a roadside bomb in the troubled Peche Valley on the border between Kunar and Nuristan provinces, spokesman General Mohammed Zahir Azimi said.

A convoy sent to their aid was hit by an explosive device at Watapor in Kunar and six more soldiers were killed, provincial governor Asadullah Wafa said on Friday.

"Seven other soldiers were wounded in the two blasts," the governor said.

It was not clear if the explosions were caused by landmines or remote-controlled bombs, Azimi said.

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Bush waged Iraq war by "cherry picking" intelligence: Former CIA official

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A former CIA official who coordinated US intelligence on the Middle East has accused the Bush administration of "cherry-picking" intelligence on Iraq to justify a decision it had already reached to go to war.

The Washington Post reported that Paul Pillar, who was the national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005, also accused the administration of ignoring warnings that the country could easily fall into violence and chaos after an invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

"Official intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs was flawed, but even with its flaws, it was not what led to the war," Pillar wrote in the upcoming issue of the journal Foreign Affairs.

Instead, he asserted, the administration "went to war without requesting -- and evidently without being influenced by -- any strategic-level intelligence assessments on any aspect of Iraq."

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Spc. Allen D. Kokesh Jr.

2/9/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Allen D. Kokesh Jr., 21, of Yankton, S. D., died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 7 of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 4 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Kokesh was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, Yankton, S. D.

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Cpl. Brandon S. Schuck Pfc. Jacob D. Spann Lance Cpl. Steven L. Phillips

2/9/06-DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. Brandon S. Schuck, 21, of Safford, Ariz., died Feb. 6 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Baghdadi, Iraq. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Pfc. Jacob D. Spann, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, died Feb. 6 from wounds sustained as a result of an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Hit, Iraq. He was assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Steven L. Phillips, 27, of Chesapeake, Va., died Feb. 7 from a non-hostile vehicle accident while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Al Qaim, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

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Spc. Roberto L. Martinez Salazar

2/9/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Roberto L. Martinez Salazar, 21, of Long Beach, Calif., died in Mosul, Iraq on Feb. 4, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his up-armored HMMWV during patrol operations. Martinez Salazar was assigned to Company A, 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash.

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Spc. Patrick W. Herried

2/8/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Patrick W. Herried, 29, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died in Rawah, Iraq, on Feb. 6, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker military vehicle during patrol operations. Herried was assigned to the Army's 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

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Petty Officer 3rd Class John T. Fralish

2/8/06-DoD Identifies Navy Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Petty Officer 3rd Class John T. Fralish, 30, of New Kingstown, Pa., died Feb. 6, when enemy forces opened fire on a U.S. patrol northwest of Methar Lam in Laghman Province, Afghanistan. Fralish was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division Detachment, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe, Hawaii.

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Spc. Sergio A. Mercedes Saez

2/7/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Sergio A. Mercedes Saez, 23, of New York, N.Y., died in Baghdad, Iraq on Feb. 5, when the HMMWV in which he was riding accidentally rolled over into a canal. Mercedes Saez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

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Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Morningstar Sgt. Jeremiah J. Boehmer

2/7/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Al Husayniyah, Iraq on Feb. 5, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Stryker Engineer Squad Vehicle. Both soldiers were assigned to the 562nd Engineer Company, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Morningstar, 27, of San Antonio, Texas.

Sgt. Jeremiah J. Boehmer, 22, of Parkston, S.D.

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Spc. William S. Hayes III

2/6/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. William S. Hayes III, 23, of St. Tammany, La., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 5, of a non-combat related injury. Hayes was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

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Sgt. 1st Class Lance S. Cornett

2/5/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class Lance S. Cornett, 33, of London, Ky., died in the vicinity of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on Feb. 3, of injuries sustained earlier that day while engaging enemy forces. Cornett was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

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1st. Lt. Simon T. Cox, Jr.

2/5/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

1st. Lt. Simon T. Cox, Jr., 30, of Texas, died in Taji, Iraq, on Feb. 2, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A3 Bradley. Cox was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

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Cpl. Jesse M. Zamora

2/5/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. Jesse M. Zamora, 22, of Las Cruces, N.M., died in Bayji, Iraq, on Feb. 3, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Zamora was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

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Col. Eugene D. Hamilton

2/3/06-Air Force Officer MIA from Vietnam War is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Col. Eugene D. Hamilton of Opelika, Ala. Final arrangements for his funeral have not been set.

On Jan. 31, 1966, Hamilton was flying an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam when his F-105D ‘Thunderchief’ was hit by enemy ground fire over Ha Tinh province. His mission was part of a larger operation, known as Operation Rolling Thunder, which attacked air defense systems and the flow of supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Airborne searches for his crash site that day were unsuccessful. A radio broadcast from Hanoi reported an F-105 had been shot down but did not provide any details.

Between July 1993 and November 2000, joint U.S.-Vietnam teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted four investigations and one excavation searching for the pilot and his plane.

An investigation team in March 2000 learned from a Vietnamese villager that an area excavated in 1997 was not the location of the pilot’s burial. A second location was then excavated in August and September 2000, which did yield aircraft wreckage, personal effects and human remains.

In 2004, three Vietnamese citizens turned over to a JPAC team remains they had found at the same crash site a year earlier.

In late May 2005, the JPAC team recovered fragments of possible human remains and life support equipment from the 2000 crash site. Personal effects found there also included a leather nametag with the name “HAMILTON” partially visible on it.

JPAC scientists and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory specialists used mitochondrial DNA as one of the forensic tools to help identify the remains. Laboratory analysis of dental remains also confirmed his identity.

Of those Americans unaccounted-for from all conflicts, 1,807 are from the Vietnam War, with 1,382 of those within the country of Vietnam. Another 839 Americans have been accounted-for in Southeast Asia since the end of the war, with 599 from Vietnam.

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1st Lt. Garrison C. Avery Spc. Marlon A. Bustamante Pfc. Caesar S. Viglienzone

2/3/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 1, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV. The soldiers were assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Killed were:

1st Lt. Garrison C. Avery, 23, of Lincoln, Neb.

Spc. Marlon A. Bustamante, 25, of Corona, N.Y.

Pfc. Caesar S. Viglienzone, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif.

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Spc. Walter B. Howard

2/3/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Walter B. Howard, II, 35, of Rochester, Mich., died in Balad, Iraq, on Feb. 2, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Ashraf, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1 Abrams tank. Howard was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Pfc. Sean T. Cardelli

2/3/06-DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Sean T. Cardelli, 20, of Downers Grove, Ill., died Feb. 1 from enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations near Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

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Spc. Anthony C. Owens

2/3/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Anthony C. Owens, 21, of Conway, S.C., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 1, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using grenades and small arms fire. Owens was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

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Pfc. Scott A. Messer

2/3/06-DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Scott A. Messer, 26, of Ashland, Ky., died in Ashraf, Iraq, on Feb. 2, when his HMMWV accidentally rolled over during convoy operations. Messer was assigned to the Army's 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

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Lance Cpl. Hugo R. Lopezlopez Cpl. Felipe C. Barbosa

1/31/06-DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Hugo R. Lopezlopez, 20, of La Habra, Calif., died Jan. 27 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Rawah, Iraq on Nov. 20, 2005. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, (Forward).

Cpl. Felipe C. Barbosa, 21, of High Point, N.C., died Jan. 28 from a non-hostile vehicle accident in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

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