4 U.S. soldiers killed by Iraqi militants posing as Americans
Last Updated: Friday, January 26, 2007 | 7:34 PM ET
CBC News 
Iraqi police guard the entrance to the
governor's office compound in Karbala,
where four U.S. soldiers were captured
Jan. 20. (Karim Kadim/Associated Press)Iraqi militants posing as American security guards captured and killed four U.S. soldiers, the U.S. military confirmed Friday.
The U.S. military initially said the soldiers were killed while fending off an attack on a governor's office near Baghdad, but the Associated Press reported early Friday that a bold capture of the soldiers had instead taken place.
The incident occurred Jan. 20 at the governor's office in the Shia city of Karbala, about 80 kilometres south of Baghdad, according to the AP report, which was confirmed late Friday by the U.S. military.
Citing information from five unnamed Iraqi officials and two unnamed U.S. senior military officials, AP said nine to 12 militants posing as an American security team captured four soldiers in the governor's compound.
Two of the soldiers were later found shot dead and handcuffed together in the back of a GMC Suburban truck in the southern town of Mahawil. A third soldier, also shot dead, was lying on the ground beside the truck.
The fourth guard, who was shot in the head, was found nearby. He was still alive, but died on the way to hospital.
The militants travelled in black GMC Suburban trucks, the same type used by U.S. government officials. The militants dressed in U.S. military uniforms, spoke English and held American weapons.
They took a U.S. computer with them, and left behind a U.S. M-4 automatic rifle.
Earlier this week, in a written statement, the U.S. military reported that the soldiers were killed "repelling the attack" on the governor's compound.
But late Friday, a U.S. military spokesman confirmed that the soldiers had actually been captured.
"The precision of the attack, the equipment used and the possible use of explosives to destroy the military vehicles in the compound suggests that the attack was well rehearsed prior to execution," said spokesman Lt.-Col. Scott Bleichwehl.
"The attackers went straight to where Americans were located in the provincial government facility, bypassing the Iraqi police in the compound," he added.
"We are looking at all the evidence to determine who or what was responsible for the breakdown in security at the compound and the perpetration of the assault."
Militant convoy was waved through checkpoint. The incident took place at about 6 p.m. on Jan. 20 as American military officers and their Iraqi counterparts were meeting in the governor's office.
A convoy of black Suburbans was waved through an Iraqi checkpoint at the edge of Karbala. Iraqi guards at the checkpoint, believing the convoy to be American, radioed to officials at the governor's office to alert them the convoy was on its way, the AP reported.
The militants divided upon arrival, some parking in front of the building, others in back, where the meeting was taking place. They threw a grenade, opened fire and grabbed two U.S. soldiers.
The militants then jumped on an armoured U.S. Humvee truck and captured two more soldiers.
A fifth soldier was killed during the fighting.
The attackers fled with their captive soldiers, driving east.
Iraqi police have since found five Suburban trucks, U.S.military-style uniforms, boots, radios and a rifle in Mahawil.
Three days after the attack, the U.S. military announced four arrests in connection with the incident. No further information has been released.
