The new violence occurred as a senior Japanese official said his
country would stand by its commitment to send peacekeepers to Iraq (news
- web
sites) despite the heightened threat to Japanese military and civilian
personnel.
Yukio Okamoto, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's top diplomatic
adviser, said withdrawing from Iraq would send the wrong message to
"terrorists who seek to thwart international support efforts," the Kyodo
news agency reported Thursday.
The Philippines also promised not to pull out its 177-strong
humanitarian and peacekeeping contingent in Iraq despite increasing danger
in that country, Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said.
One soldier from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment was killed about 8
a.m. Thursday when his truck hit a land mine near the Husaybah border
crossing point with Syria about 200 miles northwest of Baghdad, the
military said.
A paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division was killed and two others
wounded when their patrol came under rocket-propelled grenade and small
arms fire near Mahmudiyah, 15 miles south of Baghdad, about 8 p.m.
Wednesday, the military said.
Their deaths brought to 140 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq
by hostile fire since President Bush (news
- web
sites) declared an end to major combat May 1. A total of 114 U.S.
soldiers were killed in the active combat phase which began March 20.
The Polish officer was shot Thursday as he was returning from a
promotion ceremony for the Iraqi civil defense corps, which was organized
to help maintain internal security, Polish officials said.
His convoy was returning to the Polish base when gunmen opened fire
about 25 miles from Karbala, the Poles said. It was the first Polish
casualty by hostile fire in Iraq.
Elsewhere, two rockets were fired Wednesday evening at a U.S.
civil-military operations center in Samara north of Baghdad but caused no
damage or casualties, Maj. Jossyln Aberle, spokeswoman of the 4th Infantry
Division, said.
Okamoto was visiting Iraq in preparation for the dispatching of
Japanese troops. The Japanese plan to send a 150-member advance contingent
to southern Iraq by the end of the year and 550 soldiers early next year
to provide water supply, medical and other services.
The Japanese are expected to be deployed in a quiet sector of southern
Iraq along the Euphrates River near Samawah.
Escalating attacks against coalition forces and threats of terrorist
attacks have prompted three coalition members � Spain, the Netherlands and
Bulgaria � to reduce the number of diplomatic personnel in Baghdad,
although none of the U.S. partners has moved to reduce military personnel
here.
Concern over security mounted after a series of attacks which began
around the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began here
Nov. 3. In attacks this month, insurgents have rocketed the Al-Rasheed
Hotel, fired mortars at the coalition headquarters compound in Baghdad and
shot down a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter, killing 15 U.S. troops and
wounding 21.
Iraqi politicians have suggested establishing a new paramilitary force
with broad intelligence-gathering and arrest powers to help coalition
troops combat the insurgents.
In a statement Wednesday, the coalition said chief administrator L.
Paul Bremer was "open to discussing the proposal" but did not know if the
Iraqis would accept his conditions.
The statement, by Bremer's spokesman Dan Senor, said the new force must
be approved by U.S. and Iraqi authorities and exclude "extremists and
former regime loyalists."
Members must be integrated into the command structure of the Iraqi
administration, coordinated with coalition forces, trained in human rights
protection and investigation, and "committed to serve on behalf of all
citizens of a unified Iraq."
"There will be no units that represent a political party, faction or
ethnic group," Senor said. "To date, however, we are still learning
whether the advocates of a new policy are prepared to work within this
framework."
