A mortar blast in a market north of Baghdad, killed Thursday night eight civilians. The blast occurred about 9 p.m. Thursday at a market in Baqouba, about 50 kilometers north of Baghdad. Eight civilians died and another 18 were wounded, the US Army said, according to The AP.
In the north, meanwhile, eight US troops were injured when their convoy was ambushed with roadside bombs and small arms fire in Mosul. At least two Iraqi bystanders were also wounded.
The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, warned he would use whatever force necessary to defeat those who attack American soldiers.
Meanwhile, U.S. defense officials were considering a call-up of more troops. There are 130,000 American troops in Iraq, supported by several thousand peacekeepers from Britain, Poland and other nations.
But Les Brownlee, the Army's acting secretary, said after discussions with Sanchez that the United States had enough troops in Iraq.
"In terms of numbers of forces, as I've said the commanders feel like they have enough but I think it would help if the Iraqis saw troops from other nations here," he said Thursday in Tikrit. (Albawaba.com)
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