Demagogue

Let's hope that this isn't a preview of things to come.

14 Marines, Interpreter Killed in Northwestern Iraq

By Ellen Knickmeyer and Daniela Deane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 3, 2005; 8:21 AM

BAGHDAD, Aug. 3 -- Insurgents killed 14 U.S. Marines and their civilian interpreter in a roadside bomb attack in northwestern Iraq Wednesday, just one day after the military announced that seven U.S. Marines were killed in an unusual small-arms attack on Monday, the military said.

The military said the Marines were killed Wednesday morning when their amphibious assault vehicle was attacked just south of the northwestern city of Haditha, which is 125 miles northwest of Baghdad. One Marine was also wounded in the attack, the military said.

Six of the Marines killed Monday were slain in the same area, the military said, which is a known hiding place for insurgent fighters.

The killings brought the number of U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq since the March 2003 start of the war to 1,816, according to figures released by the Pentagon.

The back-to-back attacks marked one of the bloodiest two-day periods for American forces in months and came after weeks in which insurgent attacks have mostly targeted Iraqi civilians, officials and security forces.
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In another incident, an American journalist was shot and killed in the southern city of Basra, the Reuters news agency reported.

Steven Vincent, author of "In the Red Zone: A Journey Into the Soul of Iraq," was working on another book on Iraq when he was killed by unknown assailants.

My heart goes out to the families of these Marines and the U.S. journalist.