BERLIN — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the deadly attack Tuesday in Sadr City, Iraq, a terrible reminder of the dangers Americans face as they work to help rebuild the country.
Four Americans were killed in the attack, including one State Department employee, whom Rice identified as Steven L. Farley of Guthrie, Okla., who was working with a provincial reconstruction team of military members and civilians. The other Americans included two soldiers and one Department of Defense employee whose names weren’t immediately released.
The bomb that struck a district council building in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City killed at least 10 people. The explosion occurred a day after a suspected Sunni gunman opened fire on U.S. soldiers attending a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of the troops and wounding three others. An interpreter was also killed in that attack.
Rice, who was attending an international conference to help Palestinians, said in a statement that the attack ‘‘is a terrible reminder of the dangers that our colleagues face daily in advancing our critical foreign policy goals.’’
She praised Farley’s devotion to public service, saying he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was mobilized shortly after 9/11, serving on the staff of the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific. He moved to the State Department last year, she said.
‘‘Along with thousands of other citizen-patriots, he volunteered to serve in Iraq, joining the State Department in 2007,’’ Rice said. ‘‘He was one of the hundreds of dedicated men and women serving on Provincial Reconstruction Teams, helping the citizens of Iraq to rebuild and revitalize their local governments after years of Saddam’s tyranny.’’
Rice said she expressed her sympathy and gratitude to Farley’s family, including his wife, Donna.
Four Americans were killed in the attack, including one State Department employee, whom Rice identified as Steven L. Farley of Guthrie, Okla., who was working with a provincial reconstruction team of military members and civilians. The other Americans included two soldiers and one Department of Defense employee whose names weren’t immediately released.
The bomb that struck a district council building in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City killed at least 10 people. The explosion occurred a day after a suspected Sunni gunman opened fire on U.S. soldiers attending a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of the troops and wounding three others. An interpreter was also killed in that attack.
Rice, who was attending an international conference to help Palestinians, said in a statement that the attack ‘‘is a terrible reminder of the dangers that our colleagues face daily in advancing our critical foreign policy goals.’’
She praised Farley’s devotion to public service, saying he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was mobilized shortly after 9/11, serving on the staff of the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific. He moved to the State Department last year, she said.
‘‘Along with thousands of other citizen-patriots, he volunteered to serve in Iraq, joining the State Department in 2007,’’ Rice said. ‘‘He was one of the hundreds of dedicated men and women serving on Provincial Reconstruction Teams, helping the citizens of Iraq to rebuild and revitalize their local governments after years of Saddam’s tyranny.’’
Rice said she expressed her sympathy and gratitude to Farley’s family, including his wife, Donna.