2 GIs Die, 3 Hurt in Iraq as Lull in Fatal Attacks on Troops Ends

BAGHDAD —  A five-day lull in fatal attacks on U.S. troops ended late Wednesday when two soldiers were killed in a firefight near a Baghdad checkpoint, the military said Thursday.

In another attack, three soldiers were wounded Thursday when their Humvee ran over an explosive device planted in a street median in a downtown Baghdad shopping district and a firefight ensued, military officials said.

As violence continued, Maj. Gen. Ray T. Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said groups loyal to Saddam Hussein have sharply raised the bounty they are offering to those who attack U.S. soldiers, from $1,000 to $5,000 per attack.

To help defuse rising tensions over the occupation and raids aimed at rooting out anti-American forces and finding Hussein, the commander of U.S. ground forces said he would begin tailoring such operations to more specific targets. Iraqis have complained that soldiers are using unnecessary force in the raids, sometimes causing property damage and injuring or even killing civilians.

“It’s not an issue of scaling back the raids,” Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said at a briefing in Baghdad. “It’s an issue of the precision with which we execute the raids.... [We need] to be able to ensure that we are discriminate in our application of power to ensure we do not alienate innocent Iraqis.”

The new approach, however, came as a surprise to Odierno, whose command includes many cities where loyalty to the old regime remains strong, including Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.

“As far as I know, there’s been no limitation on us conducting operations,” Odierno said at a briefing in Tikrit. “In fact, I know we’re encouraging offensive operations now. I don’t think there will be any degradation in the amount of raids we do.”

In the previous 24 hours, military officials said Thursday, the 4th Infantry conducted 14 raids and detained 49 suspects.

As the raids have continued, so have attacks on U.S. forces. The two deaths late Wednesday brought to at least 54 the number of U.S. soldiers killed by hostile fire since May 1, when President Bush declared major combat over. U.S. commanders have made conflicting statements in recent days about whether attacks are rising, declining or holding steady.

Odierno said the higher bounties suggest that anti-American forces are having more difficulty finding supporters. “That means they are starting to have trouble recruiting people,” he said.

Washington is offering a $25-million reward to anyone who provides information that leads to Hussein’s capture or killing. Odierno said U.S. forces are getting four or five tips per day on the former dictator’s whereabouts. Hussein appears to be changing locations every four hours, he said.

“He’s on the run,” Odierno said. “But I don’t know if we’re close or not.”

The soldiers killed Wednesday in Baghdad’s Rashid district were members of the 1st Armored Division, officials said. One soldier was killed at the scene, and the second died after being evacuated to a nearby military medical facility.

An Iraqi interpreter was also wounded in the attack, which occurred at 11 p.m., the military-imposed curfew for the city. The soldiers’ names were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Thursday afternoon’s attack on the Humvee occurred in the Karada district, a bustling shopping area. After the blast, U.S. soldiers fired into a nearby commercial building, believing that it housed the person who may have detonated the bomb, witnesses said.

A military spokesman said soldiers were injured by return fire from the building. But bystanders said there was no such fire from the structure, where 30 people were working when the shooting broke out. No civilians were reported injured.

Sanders reported from Baghdad and Tikrit. Times staff writer Chris Kraul contributed to this report.