Five soldiers who died in an ambush Monday in Mosul in northern Iraq were from Fort Carson, the military said Wednesday.
Their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb. As survivors jumped from vehicles, they were sprayed with machine-gun fire from a mosque, the Army said.
It was the second large attack on U.S. soldiers this month, bringing the number of American fatalities to 36 this year.
The dead were identified as Sgt. James E. Craig, 26, of Los Angeles; Staff Sgt. Gary W. Jeffries, 37, of Roscoe, Texas; Spec. Evan A. Marshall, 21, of Athens, Ga.; Pfc. Brandon A. Meyer, 20, of Orange, Calif.; and Pvt. Joshua A. R. Young, 21, of Riddle, Ore.
They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Marshall’s father, Drew Marshall, told the Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald that his son was in his second tour of duty.
“We’re devastated by this loss, but we honor his service,” Drew Marshall said. “We’re very proud of him, and I consider him and all the other people who are volunteering over there as heroes.”
Meyer and Young shipped out on their first tours in December after joining the Army last year. Jeffries had been in the Army 10 years and Craig for seven years.
The deaths bring to 232 the number of Fort Carson soldiers killed in Iraq, said Karen Linne, a post spokeswoman. Five Fort Carson soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb June 28.
After Monday’s attack, Iraqi forces with helicopters, tanks and armored vehicles converged on Mosul for what Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged would be a decisive battle against al-Qaeda in Iraq in its last major urban stronghold. Observers say the insurgents clearly have moved north in recent weeks.
While American fatalities have fallen sharply in Baghdad and Anbar province, they have not slowed in the north. About 20 of the American servicemen killed so far this year were in three Sunni Arab-dominated provinces north of Baghdad. Mosul, Iraq’s northern hub city, remains a stronghold for Sunni extremist fighters.
The Associated Press and The New York Times contributed to this report.
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
