The Hindu : U.S. soldiers, Iraqis killed in blasts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 01, 2004

International

International

U.S. soldiers, Iraqis killed in blasts

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, JAN. 31. Iraqi resistance forces have killed at least 10 people and wounded another 45 in a blast next to a police station in the northern city of Mosul, while three American soldiers died when a roadside bomb exploded next to their convoy.

Iraqi guerillas have frequently attacked police stations as they see policemen as collaborators of the American occupation of their country.

The police station was packed with policemen who had assembled to collect their salaries.

A car reportedly crossed the security barrier and exploded in front of the station.

The ammunition being amassed inside got ignited while five vehicles, including the bomber's car, were gutted. Among the policemen reportedly killed are two Lt. Colonels, one Major and one Lieutenant.

According to estimates, 300 Iraqi policemen have been slain during this phase of the U.S. occupation.

The incident took place on the eve of the festival of Id-ul-Adah.

Iraqi guerillas have struck on prominent dates, such as New Year's eve when they attacked a prominent Baghdad restaurant killing eight people.

An estimated 35 people had died in a blast on the first day of Ramadan last year.

Today's attack is also significant as it follows the U.N.'s decision to send a team to Iraq in order to assess whether early elections in the strife-torn country are feasible.

A major blast at the U.N. headquarters in August, which had killed Sergio de Mello, head of the mission and 22 others, had led to the exodus of most of the foreign U.N. staff from Iraq.

The U.N. Secretary-General, Kofi Annan's decision to send a team has received a cautious welcome from the religious leadership of the Shias — the largest community in Iraq.

"The U.N. team should visit the `marjaiya', or Shia's top clerics, said Sheikh Abdul Mehdi Karbalai, representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest ranking Shia cleric in Iraq.

Three U.S. troops were killed in a roadside bomb attack between Tikrit — a stronghold of the former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, and Kirkuk.

With these three fatalities the U.S. death toll since the war in Iraq began has risen to 522.

Sustaining their attacks, Iraqi resistance carried out a rocket propelled grenade attack on the Dutch embassy on Friday.

The incident took place at night and did not cause any casualties, but the embassy building was damaged.

Around 1,200 Dutch troops have been deployed in the Iraq in support of the U.S. occupation.

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