Deteriorated security conditions in Iraq; more assassinations, N.G.Os start to leave

A security source in Karkouk city to the north of Iraq said yesterday that the director of the intelligence of the Kurdistani Democratic Party, Horman Ali Othman, was exposed to an assassination attempt while he was on his way to the headquarters of the party in Arafah area to the north of Karkouk.

The security source added that one gunman "opened fire at Ali Othman and his personal guards and this resulted in clashes between the two sides that lasted for half an hour and resulted in wounding one of the Bashmarka members." In north Baghdad, three truck drivers were killed in the last 24 hours. Security sources in Sameraa said that three truck drivers, one of them is Turkish, were killed in north Baghdad in different attacks at convoys protected by the American army.

On the other hand, Georgia's ministry of defense said it will increase the number of its forces in Iraq to 300 in October from 159. An increase which is less that the commitment it vowed earlier.

Earlier this year, Georgia said it will dispatch 550 troops to Iraq, but defining not the town where they will be sent to.

Meantime, foreign workers in non- governmental international organizations left Baghdad yesterday at a time when the majority of non- governmental organizations working in Iraq are preparing to leave the country over the deteriorated security condition and the increased kidnapping operations.

The coordinator of the non- governmental organizations activities in Iraq, Jan Dominique Bunil, said on Wednesday that most of the international non-governmental organizations are preparing to leave Iraq following the kidnapping of two Italian women working in the humanitarian field and two Iraqis from their office in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Bunil added that some foreign workers in the field of relief left Iraq yesterday morning and the others will leave the country in the coming days.

The decision of these organizations came as a reaction to kidnapping two Italians and two Iraqis working in a non- governmental Italian organizations from their office in the downtown of Baghdad.

Witnesses said that some 20 armed men kidnapped Simona Torita and Simona Baro who work for the Italian " A bridge for Iraq" organization and one Iraqi woman and one Iraqi engineer from the Italian " Inter- Source " organization.