Two Americans killed; Bush will not be scared, nor withdraw; al-Sader: we are the Iraqi wing for Hamas and Hizbullah
Iraq-USA, Politics, 4/3/2004

The Iraqi Shiite Clergy Muqtada al-Sader yesterday announced his solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas movement, in response to the call made by the secretary general of the Hizbullah party Hassan Nasrullah, adding he should be considered the "striking arm" of the movement in Iraq.

Meantime, the US President George W. Bush announced that the US will never be scared or withdraw from Iraq after the killing and deforming the bodies of four Americans in al-Falouja in an operation which was condemned yesterday by the city's Imams and officials as being a violation to norms of Islam.

Bush said, remarking not to al-Falouja incident " they want to shake our will, but they do not understand this country. We will never be scared. This country will continue to be on the track." He added " there is still a hard work in Iraq.. They want us to withdraw."

The US under secretary of state Richard Armitaj warned that the US reply to the death of the four Americans will be "tough." After his meeting with the Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Muhammad al-Sabah in Washington, he said " they will pay the price and the whole world will see the answer," considering that what had happened in al-Falouja " violates the teaching of the Koran and the principles of Islam." Al-Sader explained in Friday's sermon in Kofa "I have said and I reiterate the solidarity advocated by Hassan Nasrullah in order to stand with Hamas." He added " let Hamas consider me the striking hand in Iraq because the fate of Iraq and Palestine is the same."

Al-Sader continued " we promise the Palestinians and all the vulnerable that we will fight and defeat the opressors. Let everybody know that every one who attacks any of our symbols, like Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, might attack the followers of the Shiite sect."

On the other hand, more than 20,000 of al-Sader supporters demonstrated yesterday in front of the headquarters of the occupation authority in protest of the American administrator, Paul Bremer, for the closure last Sunday of the weekly al-"Hozah" which is supervised by al-Sader. The demonstrators condemned members of the governing council and criticized the Americans and described them as " non believers" and after the prayers the worshippers chanted " yes, yes for Jihad " and then burnt an Israeli flag.

In the battle field, the American occupation army announced that one soldier from the first armored division was killed and another wounded in a bomb explosion in one of al-Mansour quarters streets in Baghdad. He added that another soldier from the American marine was killed in a "hostile operation" in al-Anbar governorate to the west of Iraq. Thereby the number of Americans killed since the beginning of the war increased to 600, according to the US defense department.

The Iraqi police said that four gunmen yesterday killed col. Saeed al-Jabbouri while he was heading for his house in al-Kofa city, while his driver was strongly injured. The Iraqi police also added that three men, including one suicide bomber were killed in al-Riyadh town of Karkouk province when an unidentified man tried to break into the municipality to blow it up.

In Baqouba, three Iraqi police members were killed and other two wounded on Thursday evening when armed men opened fire and threw a mortar at a police barrier in the city.

In al-Hweijah, the Iraqi police announced that the American forces killed one persons and detained another while trying to place one explosive in front of a "technical institute" in the city.

Previous Stories:
  Three new Americans were wounded in al-Falouja, Powell: we will not run from Iraq   (4/2/2004)
  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)

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