International   

Militants attack U.S. bases

Atul Aneja

Hundreds of heavily armed men fire mortars, rockets at buildings in Ramadi

DUBAI: Iraqi guerillas on Thursday launched a bold attack on American bases and Government buildings in the restive town of Ramadi in Iraq.

Hundreds of heavily armed men fired mortars and rockets at buildings, and fanned out into the town.

Residents were quoted as saying that hundreds of armed men, wearing masks had for some time patrolled the main streets of the city and established checkpoints.

They distributed leaflets, which said that the Al-Qaeda in Iraq — the group run by Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, now controlled the city.

"Its followers will burn the Americans and will drive them back to their homes by force. Iraq will be a graveyard for the Americans and its allies," one leaflet announced.

The guerillas struck after 2000 U.S. Marines and 500 Iraqi soldiers launched an assault in the town Hit, east of the river Euphrates, not far from Ramadi. The U.S. military command said that the operation had been launched because the town was, "suspected to be a safe area of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and base of operations for the manufacture of car bombs."

Japanese move

P. S. Suryanarayana reports from Singapore:

Japan has hinted that it might extend its troop deployment in Iraq by another year. The current term, decided under a special law in view of the country's "pacifist" Constitution, will expire by mid-December, and a formal decision is expected in a week's time.

The military personnel, numbering several hundreds, are positioned in Iraq, in aid of the U.S.-led forces there, on a "humanitarian" mission of "reconstruction" duties. Japanese Air Self Defence Force personnel, operating out of Kuwait, extend transport services to the U.S. military.

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

Stories in this Section

Militants attack U.S. bases
AIDS: Europe rejects U.S. policy
Abortion case hearing
PPP hails acquittal
Tension high in the final round of polls in Egypt
U.K. threatened with legal action over "torture'' flights
Logs show CIA planes visited Europe
Heroes Day address positive, says Sri Lanka
Two Saudi women win in landmark election
Help resolve Kashmir dispute, Musharraf tells U.S.

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu