Iraq attacks wound US troops; imam dead in blast ( 2003-07-02 10:36) (Agencies)
Six American soldiers were wounded in Iraq on Tuesday and a group of visiting
senators said there could be more attacks on US troops after a fatal blast at a
mosque fueled Muslim anger with the occupying forces.
"The war is still on, the risks are still there and casualties could well be
taken," said Sen. John Warner, a Republican from Virginia.
A US Army military police vehicle passes by the site where
a blast killed six Iraqis and damaged a mosque overnight in Falluja, July
1, 2003. A US commander denied troops had caused the explosion which
locals said killed nine people at the mosque, including the imam, or
prayer leader.[Reuters]
There were no signs of easing tensions on Tuesday as three attacks injured
six US troops. Attacks on occupying forces have killed 22 US and six British
soldiers since May 1.
An unexplained explosion damaged a mosque in the already tense town of
Falluja, dominated by minority Sunnis. The blast killed nine people, including
the imam.
In line with the somber tone of the visiting senators, a new poll in the
United States found Americans were more pessimistic about the conflict than when
President Bush said in early May that major fighting in Iraq had ended.
A USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll found the percentage of Americans who said things
were going well for US forces in Iraq dropped to 56 percent from 70 percent a
month ago. That was down from 86 percent during the week of May 7. Bush said, on
May 1 that major combat was over.
The poll found 37 percent believed the Bush administration deliberately
misled the public about whether Iraq had serious weapons of mass destruction, up
from 31 percent a month ago.
Iraqi police officers gather near a pile of confiscated
empty shells outside the town hall of Hadithah 240 km northwest of
Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday July 1, 2003. A massive explosion over the
weekend at this ammunition bunker near Hadithah killed at least 15 people
and injured at least four when metal scavengers allegedly triggered the
explosion while dismantling 155 mm artillery rounds, spreading gun powder
on the ground at the depot.[AP]
US forces
have so far found only conventional weapons, but Bush insisted on Tuesday that
Iraq had had weapons of mass destruction.
Despite the growing skepticism at home, Bush reiterated Washington had no
intention of having its 150,000 troops chased out of Iraq.
"The rise of Iraq, as an example of moderation and democracy and prosperity,
is a massive and long-term undertaking," Bush said. "We will stay on the
offensive against the enemy, and all who attack our troops will be met with
direct and decisive force."
ATTACKS ON US TROOPS, BLAST AT MOSQUE
In Baghdad, three soldiers were hurt near al-Mustansiriyah University when a
makeshift bomb exploded by their vehicle, a military spokesman said. Their Iraqi
interpreter was missing. Bystanders saw troops drag four people who appeared to
be badly wounded from the burning wreck.
A US vehicle and an Iraqi car were on fire shortly after the midmorning blast
in central Baghdad, according to a Reuters reporter.
It was unclear what caused the destruction. A US spokesman said an improvised
device blew up. Some witnesses said the Iraqi car exploded next to the American
vehicle, while others said a rocket-propelled grenade was fired.
"These explosions are a message to the Americans because they have done
nothing for the Iraqi people. There will be more and more explosions," said
Mohammad Owdeh, a local resident.
Two soldiers in a convoy were wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade near
Baghdad airport, the US military said. Another grenade attack, in the town of
Samarra, hurt a sixth soldier.
In Falluja, a Sunni Muslim stronghold near Baghdad where Americans and Iraqis
have clashed before, a US commander denied troops had caused an explosion that
locals said killed nine people at a mosque, including the imam, or prayer
leader.
The cause of the late-night blast in Falluja, 30 miles west of the capital,
was a mystery.
President George W. Bush speaks during
a military re-enlistment event in the East Room of the White House, July
1, 2003. Bush said Iraq's transformation would be a
'massive and long-term undertaking,' indicating an early US exit was
considered unlikely. [Reuters]
Reuters correspondents saw bodies being pulled from debris around the mosque,
and local people said the imam, Sheikh Laith Khalil, died of his wounds on
Tuesday night, taking the death toll to nine and raising already high tensions
in the town.
The local US commander denied allegations a US aircraft or rocket caused the
damage, and local people said the buildings had not been used to store
explosives.
Thousands of Iraqis chanted angry slogans as they buried the dead: "America
is the enemy of God! Avenge the killings!"
Paul Bremer, in charge of the US-led authority running Iraq, blamed
professional commandos from Saddam Hussein's old power structure for recent
attacks on US and British troops, and vowed to crush them and capture Saddam
himself.
"Those few remaining individuals who have refused to fit into the new Iraq
are becoming more and more desperate," Bremer said. "They are alienating the
rest of the population."
He dismissed suggestions the violence reflected a wider discontent with US
rule and insisted his Provisional Authority was making great strides in
restoring services and sovereignty.
Warner, head of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, said there was no need
for more American troops in Iraq for now. But Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West
Virginia Democrat, said, "Things could get worse before they get better."
