Bodies of two US soldiers found as Shiite gunmen storm Kurdish party offices

Published August 11th, 2006 - 11:42 GMT

The bodies of two American service members missing since a helicopter crash were found west of Baghdad, officials said Friday.

 

The U.S. military said the bodies of two American service members missing since a UH60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed Tuesday have been uncovered. The helicopter crashed in an undisclosed body of water during a routine flight in Anbar province west of the capital, and divers had been looking for the two Americans, U.S. officials said.

 

Meanwhile, gunmen loyal to a prominent Shiite cleric torched an office of the Iraqi president's Kurdish party Friday.  Some 50 gunmen stormed the office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, led by President Jalal Talabani, beat up the guards and set the building on fire, said police Lt. Othman al-Lami. The attackers accused the party's official newspaper of criticizing Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed al-Yacoubi.

 

According to the AP, the incident took place in Kut in northern Iraq. Pamphlets distributed by the attackers in Kut said the newspaper accused al-Yacoubi of trying to "ignite a war between the Arab Shiites and Kurds" by claiming that Kurds are targeting other ethnic groups.

 

 

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