Despite media predictions of a four to six day lull in the fighting, there has been no pause in hostilities in Iraq. Bombs continued to fall on Baghdad last night and Coalition forces have reportedly captured a number of high-ranking Iraqi military officers in recent days. At least 67 American and British troops have died so far, according to military officials.
A missile landed in the Al-Nasr market in Baghdad last Friday, killing 58 civilians in the subsequent explosion, according to Iraqi authorities. Many more non-combatants were injured by what was claimed to have been an American weapon gone astray.
However, British military officers in a briefing last night said they believed the blast was caused by a malfunctioning Iraqi surface-to-air missile. According to coalition officials, many Iraqi missiles fall on Baghdad after failing to hit American and British aircraft. Debris from such missiles fragments is typically removed before Western journalists are allowed to view residential areas.
A suicide bomber killed four American soldiers on Saturday at a checkpoint in Najaf, a town approximately 95 miles south of Baghdad. The bomber was reportedly dressed in civilian clothes when he drove a taxi loaded with explosives to the roadblock.
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq posthumously awarded the man two medals, according to a senior Iraqi military official speaking at a news briefing. The Iraqi government also reportedly gave the man's family a pension of 100 million dinars, equivalent to approximately $35,000.
Outside of Umm Qasr, two Iraqis also surrendered to U.S. Army ground forces, asserting that they had been ordered to carry out suicide bombings against Coalition troops. The two identified themselves as members of Saddam Fedayeen.
In an unrelated incident, an Egyptian man employed at a U.S. Army base in Kuwait crashed a truck into a group of soldiers waiting at a store. According to CNN, 15 troops were injured. American military officials have since been attempting to determine whether the Egyptian was acting under the direction of the Iraqi government or simply as a solitary attacker.
After the rash of civilian assaults, Coalition forces have been addressing concerns that further suicide attacks are imminent.
Even before the outbreak of war, senior members of the Iraqi government had pledged that civilians would conduct suicide bombings if America ever invaded. Since the bombing on Saturday, Iraqi officials have reiterated their promise.
"This is only the beginning and you will hear more good news in the coming days. These bastards will be welcomed at the level and in the way they deserve," Vice President Taha Yassin of Iraq said at a press conference on Saturday. The conference was broadcast regionally on Arab television and has since been translated and widely replayed on Western television.
According to Iraqi military officials, as many as 4,000 civilians from other Arab nations have made their way to Iraq to volunteer for similar suicide bombings.
Coalition officials have expressed doubt about the veracity of such claims. American military leaders have further referred to the recent suicide attacks as "terrorist acts."
"That kind of activity, I think, is something of a symbol of an organization that is getting a bit desperate," Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart Jr. said. Renuart is Director of Operations for U.S. Central Command.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
