Gunman wounds U.S. officer at wall [View All]

[Barrett808]

Source: Associated Press

BAGHDAD - A senior U.S. commander was wounded by small arms fire while inspecting a security barrier being built around a Sunni enclave in Baghdad, the U.S. military said Friday.

The attack occurred Thursday in Azamiyah, an area on the eastern side of the Tigris River whose residents have been victims of retaliatory mortar attacks by Shiite militants — often following bombings blamed on Sunnis. The shooting was witnessed by an Associated Press Television cameraman.

A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, said the commander's family has been notified, but he declined to release the officer's name.

Construction of the wall has drawn strong criticism from residents who say it is a form of sectarian discrimination. Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr say they fear Shiite areas in Baghdad, such as Sadr City, will be next to see the U.S.-built barriers.

Much of the construction is being done at night by troops wearing night-vision goggles. But the officer was wounded while conducting a daytime survey.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070504/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_commander_shot