Iraq threatens more suicide bombings

BAGHDAD, Iraq: A suicide bomber in a taxi killed four American soldiers in an attack yesterday. Iraq's vice presi-dent identified the bomber as an Iraqi army officer and said suicide attacks will now be “routine military policy.”

“We will use any means to kill our enemy in our land and we will follow the enemy into its land,” Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said at a press conference. “This is just the beginning. You'll hear more pleasant news later.” The suicide bombing was the first against US and British forces since the invasion began. The bomber struck at a US checkpoint on the highway north of the city of Najaf, US military officers said. A taxi stopped close to the checkpoint, and the driver waved for help. The soldiers approached the car and it exploded, Capt Andrew Wallace told Associated Press Television News. Wallace said the victims were part of the Army's 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.

US Central Command in Doha, Qatar, confirmed the incident. Maj Gen Victor Renuart said that kind of attack was “a symbol of an organisation that's starting to get a little bit desperate.” Ramadan identified the bomber as Ali Jaafar al-Noamani, a noncommissioned army officer and father of several children. A detailed statement on the bombing would be issued later, he said. Regarding suicide bombings, Ramadan said Iraq, like many other nations, cannot match the weaponry of the United States. “They have bombs that can kill 500 people, but I am sure that the day will come when a single martyrdom operation will kill 5,000 enemies,” he said. He said thousands of Arab volunteers have been pouring into Iraq since the start of the war and that Iraq will provide them with what they need to fight. “The Iraqi people have a legal right to deal with the enemy with any means,” he added.

Later Saturday, Iraqi state television aired footage of President Saddam Hussein meeting with top aides while an announcer said the Iraqi leader praised the suicide attack. The programme did not carry any audio of Saddam speaking. “The enemy, having bet on less than a week to achieve his goals, has been defeated on all the locations that he had thought to have established a foothold,” the announcer said. Iraqi state television reported that Saddam posthumously promoted al-Noamani to a colonel.

Ramadan said Iraq won't accept any diplomatic bid to end the fighting unless it provides for the departure of US and British troops within 48 hours.  He also rejected the latest UN Security Council resolution on resuming humanitarian aid to Iraq, saying it provided a blanket of legitimacy for the US-led invasion. “We categorically reject the Security Council resolution,” he said. “It was born dead and will remain dead.” There have been warnings of suicide attacks in Iraq. Iraqi dissidents and Arab media have claimed that Saddam Hussein has opened a training camp for Arab volunteers willing to carry out suicide bombings against US forces in Iraq.

Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden also urged Iraqis last month in an audio tape aired on Arabic television to employ the tactic against the Americans. Other Arab militants also spoke about suicide missions against the invading armies. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri was asked in a mid-March television interview, whether Iraq would use suicide attacks against the invading American forces. “We have prepared ourselves for all kinds of war. For many months, tens of thousands have volunteered to serve as martyrdom-seekers (suicide attackers) in the battle with the American enemy,” he said. “We trained them and readied them. We have prepared ourselves for street fighting and desert fighting.”