Iraqi attacks show new organization

BALAD, Iraq -- As many as 50 resistance fighters ambushed a U.S. military patrol early Friday morning, while another band of Iraqis wounded at least 17 soldiers in a mortar strike on an American base near here, in bold attacks that demonstrated new organizational and weapons capabilities, soldiers and military officials said.

The attacks occurred only hours before the Arab television station Al-Jazeera broadcast a scratchy audiotape message from a man claiming to be former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. The speaker, whose voice has not yet been authenticated but sounded similar to Saddam's, said he was in Iraq and suggested he was helping to direct assaults on U.S. forces.

In Balad, a small farming town about 50 miles north of Baghdad, resistance activity already appeared to be in full swing. The mortar attack, which occurred late Thursday and wounded at least 17 members of the Army's 3rd Corps Support Command at a sprawling military base near the town, resulted in more injuries than any single incident since President Bush declared major combat in Iraq over on May 1. The subsequent ambush of the military patrol on a highway south of Balad sparked one of the most intense clashes in the past two months, with soldiers killing 11 Iraqis during three separate firefights that spanned eight hours, military officials said.

The ambush began a few minutes before midnight when several Iraqis fired guns and rocket-propelled grenades at a convoy of M2 Bradley armored personnel carriers and Humvee vehicles from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, said Staff Sgt. Christopher McDaniel of Fort Worth, Texas, who led the patrol.

He said the patrolling soldiers immediately returned fire, killing several of the attackers and sending others fleeing.

A small contingent of troops headed south along the highway to establish radio contact with their base, he said. When they met up with northbound reinforcements about 4 miles south of the attack, they were ambushed again from sunflower fields om both sides of the road, prompting soldiers to return fire.

He said his soldiers were fired upon for a third time when they returned to the site of the initial ambush.

McDaniel said about 50 people were involved in the three ambushes. He said his troops recovered 11 bodies from the three attacks.

First Sgt. Gary Gilmore of Newman, Ga., called the attack "the biggest one we've had" since Saddam's government was toppled. "They seemed to know what they were doing," he said.

Most attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq have involved small groups of gunmen, usually less than a half-dozen. A U.S. official said he had not heard of another attack involving as many as 50 people working together. "This is unusual and concerning," the official said. "A group of 50 suggests a degree of organization we haven't seen before."

Less than two hours before the first ambush, four mortars were fired into the grounds of Camp Anaconda, a large U.S. base near Balad, said Capt. Sandra Chavez, a press officer for the Army's 4th Infantry Division. Of the 17 soldiers hurt in the incident, two were wounded seriously, she said.

'Days of hardship'

The voice on the tape asserted that guerrilla "cells and brigades have been formed" and urged people to help the resistance effort, saying he hoped "the coming days will, God willing, be days of hardship and trouble for the infidel invaders."

The recording, which the speaker said was made June 14, is the first purported audio message from the former Iraqi dictator since an Australian newspaper reporter received a tape May 5 that contained the voice of a man claiming to be Saddam. Al-Jazeera said it received the recording over the telephone Friday, a day after the United States announced a $25 million reward for the capture of Saddam or the confirmation of his death.

U.S. military commanders and civilian reconstruction specialists in Iraq regard the capture or death of Saddam as vitally important to squelching resistance activity and building confidence in the U.S.-led postwar occupation. The message, authentic or not, reinforced a widespread belief among ordinary Iraqis that Saddam is alive and continues to threaten the country's stability.