Guerrillas killed six coalition soldiers and at least seven Iraqis in southern Iraq on Saturday, lashing out at nations that answered US calls for troops to stabilize the country it invaded.
The attacks in Kerbala, a town holy to Shiite Muslims, also wounded 37 soldiers including five Americans, and at least 80 Iraqis, US military officials and local hospitals said.
The head of the multi-national force in the region, General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz, said attackers used four suicide car bombs, mortars and machineguns against two foreign military bases and a town council building housing local police.
"This was a planned, coordinated and massed attack," the Polish PAP news agency quoted Tyszkiewicz as saying. "In all cases, the suicide drivers were shot dead before they could strike their targets."
Major Ralph Manos, an officer with the Polish-led multinational division based in the city, said six coalition soldiers were killed. A Polish Defense Ministry official said five Iraqi policemen also died and two Polish civilians were injured.
Thailand's Foreign Ministry said two of the dead soldiers were Thais posted to Kerbala. Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said four of its troops had been killed by one of the car bombs.
The attacks, part of a wave of guerrilla raids in Baghdad and deadly bombings to the north, dealt yet another blow to hopes the Dec. 13 capture of Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein would soon rein in violence in Iraq that Washington blames on Saddam loyalists and Muslim militants.
Iraqis said a fuel truck tried to smash into one of the bases before bursting into flame, killing several Iraqis.
"We were having lunch ...when an explosion shook the place. The kids playing outside were hurt, some were killed," said Ali Abdul Zahra, whose 15-year-old nephew and his nephew's friend were killed in the blast.
"The fuel truck didn't manage to penetrate the base, it exploded at the entrance."
"I collected the body of my uncle. I could not tell his head from his feet," said Hassan Shaker, one of many Iraqis who gathered at the main hospital.
The spokesman for the Polish-led force said 25 troops were wounded, five seriously, in the strike on the bases, around 110km southwest of Baghdad. US military spokesman Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt put the number of wounded troops at 37.
People in the city blamed followers of the captured Iraqi leader, who US military officials believe have played a main role in attacks on occupying troops, Iraqis working with them and international agencies.
"Those who carried out this operation are followers of Saddam. We are 100 percent sure," said 35-year-old Sattar Abdel Ghali in downtown Kerbala.
The Kerbala area, home to several shrines holy to Shiite Muslims, is controlled by a multinational force including Bulgarians under Polish command. Washington is urging allied countries to contribute forces to help counter insurgency ahead of a planned handover of sovereignty to Iraqis in the summer.
About 15 Japanese military officials arrived in Kuwait on Saturday to lay the groundwork for Japan sending troops to Iraq. They are due to hold talks with members of the US-led coalition to prepare for the arrival of more than 150 personnel and transport planes in January.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
RSS