Eight dead in Iraqi mortar attack
Eight Iraqis have been killed by a mortar attack in the town of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, according to the US military.
A US Army spokesman said it was not clear who mounted the attack on Thursday evening. Baquba lies in the notorious ‘Sunni triangle’, where support for ousted dictator Saddam Hussein is strongest.
No US soldiers were injured in the mortar attack, but it marks the latest in a string of explosions in Iraq this week.
On Thursday morning a bomb exploded near the Baghdad hotel used by American network NBC, killing a Somali worker.
A roadside bomb meant for a US convoy exploded on Wednesday beside two civilian buses, killing an Iraqi.
The United Nations has announced that it is to further reduce its staff in Iraq because of continuing concerns about their safety.
The UN’s decision to reduce its staff follows two bomb attacks on its headquarters in Baghdad within weeks of each other. Last month’s blast killed 22 people, including the chief UN envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
On Monday a suicide car bomber blew himself up near the UN headquarters, killing a security guard.
The Iraqi minister responsible for foreign affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, said the UN was “playing into the hands of terrorists” and the US expressed disappointment in the decision.
The UN will rely on Iraqi workers to continue its humanitarian support in the region.
Fred Eckhard, a spokesman for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, said, “This is not an evacuation, just a further downsizing, and the security situation in the country remains under constant review.”
The Bush administration is currently seeking a new UN Resolution to authorise greater international co-operation in the reconstruction of Iraq. The Resolution calls for UN member states to send money and troops to support the coalition occupation.
However, many countries are opposed to supporting the motion, as the US is not prepared to relinquish control of Iraq to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, the United States has set Iraq’s newly appointed Governing Council a six-month deadline in which to draw up a constitution, ahead of planned elections for a new government next year.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell told the New York Times the deadline would be difficult but was necessary to move Iraq towards democracy.
