Easter Morning In Iraq

At 2:15 on Easter morning in a town south of Baghdad, US troops started their day in a manner it is impossible for those of us who have never seen combat to imagine:

U.S. troops stormed a house about 2:15 a.m. in Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad and detained six suspected insurgents, including the al-Qaida militant targeted. The military didn't identify the suspect but said he worked with foreign fighters to plan bombings.

Those inside the house started shooting, and the troops fired back, a U.S. statement said.

Soldiers killed two men who were wearing suicide bomb vests, and a third detonated his explosives himself, the statement said. Two other suspected insurgents were killed.

A woman also died in the crossfire, and three women and a child were wounded, the U.S. said. Five American troops were injured, but none seriously.

Even as AP's words on a page, these are pretty unnerving ... but imagine being there! The vests exploding, the bullets everywhere. What our troops do is so amazing, so brave, so worthy of our praise and honor.

It doesn't take too many bad guys to disrupt a country, so taking these 11 out of the picture is not an insignificant victory.

Photo: Sudip Bose
Tags: Iran, Al Qaeda, Terrorists, Winning the war