5 American soldiers die south of Baghdad

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Five American soldiers were killed south of Baghdad, including four in a single roadside bombing, the military said Sunday. The leader of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, meanwhile, issued an impassioned appeal for help from Arab countries against what he called Iranian-supported death squads and militias in the latest blow to the US-backed Iraqi government's reconciliation efforts. Adnan al-Dulaimi, the leader of the Iraqi Accordance Front, warned that Baghdad was in danger of falling into the hands of the "Persians" and "Safawis," using terms referring to Iran. "Arabs, your brothers in the land of the two rivers and in Baghdad in particular are exposed to an unprecedented genocide campaign by the militias and death squads that are directed, armed and supported by Iran," al-Dulaimi said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press by his office.