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Deadliest attacks in Iraq since war began

 
Published Nov. 3, 2003|Updated Sept. 2, 2005

A look at some of the deadliest days of attacks in Iraq since the war began on March 20. President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq on May 1.

NOV. 2: A U.S. Chinook helicopter carrying troops headed for leave is struck by a missile and crashes west of Baghdad, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 20.

OCT. 27: Four suicide bombings target the International Red Cross headquarters and four Iraqi police stations in Baghdad, killing 40 people, mostly Iraqis.

OCT. 9: A suicide bomber drives his Oldsmobile into a police station in Baghdad's Sadr City district, killing himself and nine others.

SEPT. 12: U.S. forces kill eight Iraqi police and a Jordanian security guard, and wound nine in the deadliest friendly fire incident since the end of major fighting.

AUG. 29: A car bomb explodes outside a mosque in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf, killing more than 85 people including Shiite leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim.

AUG. 19: A truck bomber strikes the United Nations headquarters at the Canal Hotel, killing 23 people, including the top U.N. envoy to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

AUG. 7: A car bomb explodes on a street outside the Jordanian Embassy, killing 19 people including two children.

JUNE 24: A firefight kills six British soldiers training police in southern Iraq, and eight are wounded when Iraqis ambush a patrol and a helicopter.

APRIL 7: U.S. warplanes strike a convoy of allied Kurdish fighters and U.S. Special Forces during a northern battle. At least 18 people are killed and more than 45 wounded, including senior Kurdish commanders.

APRIL 3: Eleven U.S. soldiers are killed in combat or die in accidents. The day before, 10 American soldiers died.

MARCH 23: The deadliest day for U.S. soldiers, with 28 Americans killed. The toll includes 11 killed when a 507th Maintenance Company convoy is ambushed in Nasiriyah. Nine are wounded and seven captured, including Pfc. Jessica Lynch.

MARCH 21: Eight British soldiers and four U.S. Marines are killed when their helicopter crashes in Kuwait.

_ ASSOCIATED PRESS

U.S. helicopter attack kills 16 soldiers

Insurgents shot down a U.S. Chinook helicopter in central Iraq on Sunday as it carried troops headed for home leave, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 20.

CH-47 Chinook

Primary function: Transporting troops, artillery, ammunition, fuel, water, supplies and equipment on the battlefield.

Manufacturer: Boeing

Top speed: 184 mph

Engine: Two Textron Lycoming T55-L712 engines

Cockpit crew: 3

Capacity: 33 troops

Weights:

Maxium gross: 50,000 pounds

Empty: 23,401 pounds

Length: 99 feet

Height: 18 feet, 11.5 inches