US troops kill 46 Iraqis

US troops repelled simultaneous attacks in the northern city of Samarra, killing 46 Iraqis, wounding at least 18 and capturing eight, the US military said.

Five US soldiers and a civilian were wounded.

Many of the attackers were found wearing uniforms of the Fedayeen, a militia loyal to Saddam Hussein, according to Lt Col William MacDonald of the 4th Infantry Division. MacDonald described the attack as “massive and well coordinated”.

“This is the largest one for our task force since we’ve been in theatre,” he said.

“It sounds like the attack had some coordination to it, but the soldiers responded, used their firepower, used tank and Bradley fire and other weapons available to them, to stop this attack,” he said.

Two US logistical convoys were moving into Samarra when they were attacked with roadside bombs, small arms fire, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. The attacks – one on the east side of the city, the other on the west – were simultaneous, MacDonald said.

After setting up a barricade along the route of one of the convoys, the attackers opened fire from rooftops and alleyways, MacDonald said.

He said US soldiers returned fire from several locations at each ambush, using small arms, 120mm tank rounds and 25mm canon fire from Bradley fighting vehicles. The US fire destroyed three buildings the attackers were using, he said.

None of the American wounded suffered life-threatening injuries, MacDonald said. Two sustained only minor injuries, while the other three were evacuated to a hospital, along with the wounded civilian.

MacDonald said he didn’t think convoy procedures needed to be altered as a result of the attack, because his troops won the battles.

“We have been very aggressive in our convoy operations to ensure the maximum force protection is with each convoy,” he said. “But it does send a clear message that if you attempt to attack one of our convoys, we’re going to use our firepower to stop that attack.”

In a separate attack about an hour later, another convoy of US military engineers was attacked by four men with automatic rifles. The soldiers returned fire, wounding all four men, MacDonald said. He said soldiers found Kalashnikov rifles and grenade launchers in their car, a black BMW.

Samarra is 60 miles north of Baghdad in the so-called “Sunni Triangle” where opposition to the US occupation of Iraq has been fiercest.

Also yesterday, two South Korean civilian contractors were killed and two were injured in a roadside attack near Samarra. MacDonald said the attack was unrelated.

South Korea’s government vowed today to continue relief and reconstruction projects in Iraq despite the attacks.

“Despite the sacrifices of the tragic incident, the government will not give into violence and human killings and we will continue to make efforts to provide humanitarian aid and join relief and reconstruction projects in Iraq,” foreign minister Yoon Young-kwan said in a brief statement.

The statement followed an emergency government meeting to discuss its reaction to the attacks.