Philippine hostage is no longer vulnerable to killing, Baghdad's explosion leaves behind 11 killing, Allawi threatens
Iraq, Politics, 7/15/2004

The Interim Iraqi prime minister Eyad Allawi described the explosions which took place near the headquarters of his government in the downtown of Baghdad as a flagrant aggression against the Iraqi people.

He vowed during his visit to the explosion site to chase what he described as criminals and to bring them before the justice, noting that the explosion comes in retaliation to a campaign carried out by the police in the two past days.

According to a recent calculation by the authorities, at least 11 Iraqis ( four security men members and 7 civilians ) and other 40 were wounded including one American soldier in a booby trapped car explosion near the conferences palace in the Green Zone which is controlled by the multi national forces in Baghdad.

The explosion resulted in material losses in several civilian cars and trade shops. Iraqi police sources said that the driver of the car -- which was loaded by 450 Kg of explosives -- tried to pass through one main American inspection barrier at the entrance of the area.

News reports indicated that the driver was seeking to reach the building of the Iraqi cabinet but the car went off before its arrival.

Meantime, sources at the Philippines foreign ministry said quoting its diplomats in Baghdad that the Philippine hostage in Iraq Angelo De LaCruz is in a secure situation and he is no longer threatened of killing.

This comes at a time when the Philippines started yesterday coordinating the process of withdrawing its forces from Iraq and announced reduction of the number of its soldiers there from 51 to 43 in response with the demands raised by a group holding one Philippine hostage in Iraq.

Philippines' foreign minister said that its ministry is coordinating with the ministry of defense for the withdrawal of the soldiers from Iraq.

In Sofia, the Bulgarian government said in an official statement issued by the presidency and the Cabinet it will keep its military contingent in Iraq despite the killing of one of its two hostages in Iraq by its kidnappers.

Al-Tawhid and al-Jihad group broadcast a video tape depicting the execution of the hostage and in the same tape the kidnappers threatened to assassinate the other in a grace period expires after 24 hours if women prisoners in Iraq are not released.

Previous Stories:
   One Bulgarian hostage killed   (7/14/2004)
  Saudi Arabia admits possible indirect sneaking of Saudi fighters to Iraq   (7/14/2004)
  Iraqi Official highlights relations with Syria, positive visits   (7/14/2004)

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