Three new Americans were wounded in al-Falouja, Powell: we will not run from Iraq
Iraq-USA, Politics, 4/2/2004

The US yesterday announced it will not run from Iraq, vowing to punish the killers of the four American contractors on Wednesday in al-Falouja where three American soldiers were wounded yesterday.

The US secretary of state Colin Powell said in an interview with the German ZDF TV "we will not withdraw, we will not escape. America is able to stay, fight the enemy and defeating it." He added " we do not want any civilian or any soldier to be killed in this conflict. we know that achieving noble goals, in certain times, lead to losses in human life." He continued that the " Americans know that terrorism now is a real danger " and therefore " we have to double our efforts to chase them."

Powell said that he expects the UN Security Council will adopt a new resolution on Iraq before the date of transferring the authorities to the Iraqis on July 1st, noting that the new Spanish government stressed that a new resolution enhancing the role of the UN is a precondition to keep the deployment of the Spanish forces in Iraq.

Powell said "we expect the foundation of a democratic state and be a Muslim country because it is the religion of the country," adding "there is no reason preventing coexistence between Islam and democracy." Armed men near al-Falouja yesterday attacked an American military procession and burnt one of its vehicle and this resulted in wounding several American soldiers.

However, the US administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, vowed that al-Falouja attack on Wednesday will not pass unpunished, stressing that the blood of the four American will not go wasted." The Iraqi minister of the interior, Nouri al-Badran, said he will send forces from the army and the police and the civil defense forces to al- Falouja to arrest the killers of the four contractors.

An unidentified group declaring itself for the first time under the name of "groups of martyr Ahmad Yassin" claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack, considering that it intended by this operation to revenge the assassination of the spiritual leader of the Hamas movement Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. It said in a statement circulated in al-Falouja it is a "present given by the people of Falouja to the people of Palestine and family of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin who was assassinated by the Zionist criminals." The statement which bore the title "Falouja the grave of the Americans " said that after "following up and monitoring of a group of American intelligence and the Israeli Mossad, our members assassinated those persons." This however, came at a time when life restored normalcy yesterday in al-Falouja where trade shops and schools opened their doors amid an absence of any military demonstrations while the Iraqi police installed inspection point inside and in the surrounding of the city.

It was also announced that one American soldier was wounded yesterday in a bomb explosion when one American vehicle was running in al-Shu'la quarters, north west of Baghdad.

The American occupation army said a booby trapped car killed 6 Iraqis and wounded other 5 in an attack that took place on Wednesday in al-Ramadi area.

Meantime, a new shift of Iraqi officers ( 165 officers) completed a training course offered by Jordan in the course of the plan to form the new Iraqi army.

Previous Stories:
  governing council set conditions for elections; One American is killed, al-Seisatni demands guarantees   (3/31/2004)
  One American killed in al-Falouja; Annan: work is underway to form a multinational force   (3/30/2004)
  American army admits the killing of Arabia journalists   (3/30/2004)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search