Two car bomb attacks killed 13 Iraqis and a US soldier yesterday ahead of a UN Security Council vote that was expected to approve a resolution on the country's move from occupation to sovereignty.
In the northern city of Mosul, three men in a taxi blew up their vehicle near the mayor's office, witnesses said. The US military said at least nine Iraqis were killed and 25 wounded.
Some bodies were charred beyond recognition.
An hour earlier, a car bomb exploded outside a US base in the town of Baquba, 65km north of Baghdad, killing four Iraqis and a US soldier. Eleven Iraqis were wounded.
US officials say they expect a surge of guerrilla attacks ahead of the formal handover of sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30. Discussions at the Security Council on a resolution endorsing the political process have been complicated by international wrangling and by divisions within Iraq.
France said on Tuesday it would back the latest draft resolution on Iraq after its US-British sponsors made last-minute adjustments on military policy.
The US and Britain have called for the 15-nation Security Council to vote on the resolution later yesterday.
France, which has veto power on the council, said it would vote in favor, even though it was not fully satisfied.
"This will not prevent us giving a positive vote in New York to constructively help find a positive way out of this tragedy," Foreign Minister Michel Barnier told France Inter radio.
Most diplomats expect a unanimous 15-0 vote for the resolution, which gives international legitimacy to a newly formed Iraqi interim government and authorizes a US-led multinational force, now at 160,000 troops.
"We think this is an excellent resolution," US Ambassador John Negroponte said. "Iraq is entering into a new political phase, one where it is reasserting its full sovereignty."
The Bush administration was keen for a vote early this week so that disputes over the resolution did not overshadow a G8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia.
At issue was how much control Baghdad's new leaders would have over major US-run military operations after June 30.
Meanwhile, coalition forces freed three Italians and a Polish contractor and captured their kidnappers in a raid on the outskirts of Baghdad last night, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said.
Just before word came from the Italian government, the commander of the Polish-led multinational force, General Miecyzslaw Bienek, said that the three Italians and a Polish contractor were freed by US special forces.
The hostage-takers "certainly were captured," Berlusconi told private TG5 TV. "The operation was carried out without bloodshed" after the hideout was under observation for a few days, he said.
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024. According to the contract chipmaker’s financial statement released on Friday, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), a joint venture running the fab in Kumamoto, posted NT$951 million (US$30.19 million) in profit in the January-to-March period, compared with a loss of NT$1.39 billion in the previous quarter, and a loss of NT$3.25 billion in the first quarter of
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force. Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last week. In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News, just as Trump wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China, he said he has yet to green-light a new US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan and that it “depends on China.” “It’s a very good
RSS