The Hindu : 4 U.S. soldiers die in escalated violence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 15, 2004

International

International

4 U.S. soldiers die in escalated violence

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, MARCH 14. A roadside bomb and a grenade attack have killed four American soldiers, marking a sudden spurt in U.S. casualties over the weekend in Iraq.

One of the soldiers died on Sunday following a grenade attack, while three others were killed when a roadside bomb exploded late on Saturday. Both attacks took place in Baghdad. Also on Saturday, two U.S. soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device targeted a passing military convoy of three vehicles in Tikrit, a stronghold of the former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, 180 km north of the Iraqi capital.

With today's incident, the number of U.S. deaths has mounted to 564 since the war in Iraq began. A jump in the U.S. casualties in the last few days coincides with a massive troop rotation exercise that is taking place in Iraq. Many of the formations that had acquired some experience in facing the Iraqi resistance are being replaced by fresh troops who are new to the situation on the ground.

Besides, Iraqi guerillas also appear to have stepped up their attacks with the approach of the June 30 deadline, when the U.S. visible presence in Baghdad is likely to recede and an unelected American backed Government is expected to be in place.

A bomb exploded inside a shop in an upscale shopping district of Baghdad on Saturday, killing the owner Haidar al-Qazwini. Mr. Qazwini was the brother-in-law of Ibrahim al-Jaafari who belongs to the U.S. backed Iraqi Governing council, seen by Iraqi resistance groups as collaborating with the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

As the clashes with U.S. forces intensify, Iraq's majority Shia community has continued to show that it is restive.

While Shias have not blocked an interim charter passed on Monday that gave Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities a chance to veto a future constitution, they, nevertheless are visibly agitated. Analysts point out that the "veto clauses" in the interim law, which allow a two-thirds majority in any three provinces of Iraq to annul the constitution in a future referendum has become the bone of contention. These clauses can pit Iraq's Kurds, who are in majority in three provinces in northern Iraq against the Shias in case the latter decide to go against their wishes.

The top Shia spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, has described the charter as deeply flawed. The young firebrand Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr also attacked the Constitution by describing it as similar to the, "Balfour Declaration that sold Palestine". "We are selling Iraq and Islam. This is a bad signal to send," he said during a mosque congregation in Kufa, near Najaf on Friday. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 had laid the foundation for establishing the State of Israel on Palestinian land.

Aware that Shias are the key to Iraqi stability, the White House has designated Robert Balckwill, a former U.S. Ambassador to India, to defuse tensions arising out of provisions in the interim Constitution. Mr. Blackwill has reportedly arrived in Baghdad.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News Update

Stories in this Section

Putin set to sweep poll

Poll overshadowed by Al-Qaeda claim

A reflection of people's will: Wen

4 U.S. soldiers die in escalated violence

Pavarotti's grand finale

Pakistan readies for another operation in tribal area

`Canada was not convinced of evidence on Iraq'

Robot vehicles find the going rough

Indian Embassy in touch with Spanish officials

India must act now: Pakistan

China optimistic on ties with India