Italy pledges to stay in Iraq while Bush plans rapid handover
The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has pledged that despite the killing of 18 Italians in Iraq yesterday his country will not withdraw its troops.
On Wednesday 12 Italian carabinieri, four Italian soldiers, two Italian civilians and five Iraq children were killed when a tanker truck packed with explosives smashed into an Italian paramilitary installation in al-Nasiriyah.
A further 20 Italians and 59 Iraqis were wounded in the attack. In response the US forces in Baghdad carried out air attacks on a warehouse said to have been used by militants.
Yesterday crisis talks were held in the White House and President Bush has ordered the US administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, to prepare for an interim Iraqi government as quickly as possible. It is hoped that this will stem the rising tide of violence in the country.
A leaked confidential CIA report has said that a growing number of Iraqis support the resistance because they believe the US-led coalition can be defeated. It also warned that without emergency measures, plans to rebuild Iraq as a democracy could collapse.
In response to the bombing Japan has said that it will delay sending any troops until later in 2004.
