Army death: Spc. Michael L. Hermanson, 21, of Fargo, N.D., died Tuesday in Abayachi when his vehicle came under attack from small-arms fire and grenades.
Abuse court-martial: A two-star general who commanded the U.S. military prisons in Guantanamo Bay and later in Iraq testified yesterday at Fort Meade, Md., that he never recommended using dogs for interrogations despite his belief in an Arab fear of canines and use of dogs for security purposes at Guantanamo. Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller testified for the defense at the court-martial of Sgt. Santos Cardona, an Army dog handler from Fullerton accused of having his dog bite one detainee and harass another at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in late 2003 and early 2004.
Cardona's alleged offenses are not said to have occurred during interrogations, but defense lawyers contend the rules and command structure at the prison were hopelessly muddled.
Miller, now a Pentagon assistant, testified for the first time at a legal proceeding stemming from the Abu Ghraib scandal.
Protest arrests: Seven people have been arrested while protesting the delivery of military vehicles to the Port of Olympia, Wash., for shipment to Iraq. Five people were arrested Tuesday for blocking the convoys at a crosswalk, police said. A man was arrested and accused of trespassing after police said he tried to put a bicycle lock on a port gate Tuesday. A person was arrested Monday for trying to block military vehicles.
The first of about 20 convoys began arriving Monday from Fort Lewis, between Tacoma and Olympia, with vehicles from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
Arrest in Lebanon: Lebanese security forces have arrested a nephew of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein suspected of masterminding attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq, security sources said yesterday. They said Bashar Sabawi Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti was detained as he tried to board a flight to Brazil at the Beirut airport Tuesday after officers suspected that his passport was tampered with to modify the name.
He had entered Lebanon by land from Syria after leaving Iraq. The sources said there was an international warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges, which include leading a group to fight U.S. forces in Iraq.
Iraqi convoy attacked: Gunmen attacked the convoy of Adil Issa, a member of the provincial council of Diyala province, killing two of his bodyguards and wounding another, police said.
Bodies near Latifiyah: The Iraqi army found the bodies of seven people with bullet wounds in their heads near Latifiyah, police said.
Romney visit: Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said yesterday he was impressed by the determination of U.S. forces following a fact-finding trip, but couldn't say when Iraqis could assume security operations from the Americans. The Republican governor met with Gen. George Casey, head of U.S. forces in Iraq, as well as Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, during a two-day visit.
