IRAQ

Independent: Powell draws a veil over killings as he tours Iraq by Robert Fisk

Killings are now like heartbeats in Iraq. Among the first yesterday was an American soldier from the US 1st Armoured Division, whose Baghdad patrol was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade at ten past one in the morning.

In the coffin statistics of the American occupation, he was the 76th US soldier to die "in action" since President George Bush declared major combat operations at an end. As usual, the occupation authorities here announced his fate.

Then came the turn of Sami Hassan Saref, who was killed west of the town of Baqubah 20 minutes later when US troops were raiding his home.

Apparently ­ this is according to a neighbour, Ahmed Karim ­ Mr Saref thought the Americans were thieves, seized a rifle to defend his home and was shot. The Americans, according to Mr Karim, took the wounded 35-year-old man to hospital where he died. As usual, the occupation authorities ­ who never report the killing of the Iraqis whose country they occupy ­ did not announce his fate

It is being said in Fallujah, for example, that the killing of eight police officers and a Jordanian hospital guard by US troops on Friday came after an American military convoy was ambushed the previous day.

Although the occupation authorities reported one US soldier dead in the attack, local Iraqis say that many other troops were wounded and that the ambush succeeded a request by the Americans for a local Iraqi police escort.

The police, so the story goes, declined the request.



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