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Plane Carrying Shelby and Bachus Takes Fire

By Associated Press

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Richard Shelby and U.S. Representative Bud Cramer were among four lawmakers on a military cargo plane that was fired upon in Iraq Thursday night.

The lawmakers said their plane, a C-130, was under fire from three rocket-propelled grenades over the course of several minutes as they left Baghdad for Amman, Jordan.

Republican Senators, Mel Martinez, of Florida and James Inhofe, of Oklahoma, were also on the plane.

Captain Angel Wallace, a spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command, said she was not aware of the incident, and military public affairs officials in Baghdad could not be reached immediately.

Lawmakers travel to Iraq regularly to get a closer look at military and political progress there, usually staying inside Baghdad's secured Green Zone and traveling under heavy security.

Despite the scare, Shelby, Martinez and Cramer said they believed the recent increase in troop levels has helped stabilize parts of the country.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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