Three Missing
American troops were on the hunt in a volatile region south of Baghdad for three members of a U.S.-led military patrol, who went missing after an insurgent attack Saturday that killed five others.
The U.S. military said attackers struck the team of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi army interpreter.
It was unclear whether the Iraqi was among the missing or among those killed, and it is not known whether the interpreter was a soldier or a civilian employee.
U.S. forces are using all assets in their search for the missing troops, who are listed as duty status whereabouts unknown, the military said.
Checkpoints have been established throughout the region and aircraft including helicopters, drones and jets have been deployed in the search.
The predawn attack occurred 12 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a city south of the capital in a region that has been nicknamed the Triangle of Death.
A nearby unit heard explosions, and 15 minutes later, a drone aircraft spotted two burning vehicles, according to a U.S. military statement.“Coalition Forces are currently using every means at our disposal to find the missing Soldiers, and we will continue these efforts until all are accounted for,” said a statement from military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell.
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