Sunday: 5 GIs, 57 Iraqis Killed; 37 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 11:40 p.m. EDT, Aug. 12, 2007

Although violence remains relatively light, U.S. forces took a heavy hit on Saturday; five American servicemembers were killed and four wounded. At least 57 Iraqis were killed and 37 more wounded during the latest incidents. Also, one security contractor from Fiji was killed, two other Fijians were wounded, and an American was wounded during an attack on their convoy.

ATask Force Marne soldier was killed during a dismounted patrol southeast of Baghdad. When his colleagues chased after the gunman, they ran into a booby-trapped building where four Task Force Marne soldiers were killed and four more wounded by an explosion.

In Baghdad, 17 bodies were found scattered in several neighborhoods. The Iraqi army reported killing seven suspects and arresting 70 others. Two civilians were wounded during a bombing near the Saj al-Reef restaurant. A roadside bomb on the al-Rasheed camp road injured five civilians. Mortars landing in Qahira killed three people and wounded 15 more.

U.S. forces killed two civilians and wounded a third during an incident in Sadr City. During raids that involved helicopter back-up, two people were killed and four wounded.

In Daquq, gunmen killed one civilian and injured two others during a drive-by shooting. In a separate drive-by, three policemen were killed and two more were wounded; the wife of one of the dead policemen was reported to have committed suicide upon hearing the news. Yesterday, one person was killed and another wounded during a drive-by in nearby al-Ulia village.

Nine gunmen were killed during clashes with MNF forces in Muqdadiyah.

In Wajihiya, two Iraqi soldiers were wounded during clashes with gunmen.

British forces in Basra reported wounding an unspecified number of civilians in crossfire between unknown assailants and a British patrol.

One person was killed an another injured during a drive-by shooting in Kirkuk.

Several car bombs in Karbala were safely defused.

Two bodies were found in Kora Roqa village, near Suleimaniyah.

Marines handed their positions in Ramadi over to Iraqi security forces and withdrew from the area.

Three bodies belonging to a man and two women were found in Hilla.

One Iraqi soldier was killed and two were wounded when a roadside bomb was detonated in Latifiya.

A U.S. base in Kut was attacked with mortars, but no casualties were reported.

Compiled by Margaret Griffis