Continued clashes in Iraq

Three Iraqis were wounded yesterday when a bomb placed in the entrance of a hotel in Karkouk city to the north of Iraq exploded, and injured an employee in the hotel.

Representative for the American oil company ( KBR), several Turkish companies, and foreign journalists are staying in this hotel.

In another development, a female journalist in the French weekly "Novelle Observeutor" said she had received on Sunday at her residence in a hotel a video tape showing a fighter launching a ground to air missile on the Airbus of the DHL plane that was hit in Baghdad on Saturday.

The six-minute video tapes shows fighters deployed in the fields, covering their faces and armed with Kalashinkov machine guns and ground-to-air Sam 14 missiles.

One American soldier was wounded yesterday in an attack on a vehicle in Musil to the northern part of the country by an explosive and light weapons.

In Baghdad, an explosive went off while an American military vehicle was passing in Zeinona area on Monday, and this resulted in damaging an armed vehicle. The US forces arrested one Iraqi at the site of the attack.

In Baqouba, one Iraqi civil defense member was injured yesterday when unidentified persons accused him of treason before he was stabbed, according to the wounded.

In another development a fire erupted in the oil pipeline near Karkouk city, to the north of Iraq, following a large explosion, according to sources in the north oil company.

On the other hand, a funeral was held for 8 Iraqis killed during a breaking-in operation carried out by American soldiers two days ago in Albu Seif area, near al-Ramadi.

Meantime, the Australian "Care" organization for humanitarian action announced yesterday the withdrawal of its foreign workers from Iraq, and suspending its activities in this country, after an attack targeted its headquarters in Baghdad, and death threats against its employees.

The attack which targeted on Friday evening the offices of the organization had no casualties.