Iraq guerrilla attacks halved says Bremer

Iraq's United States governor Paul Bremer said guerrilla attacks had fallen dramatically after Saddam Hussein's capture, and the United Nations planned to assess safety for a possible return of international UN staff.

US soldiers killed at least four Iraqi civilians in Fallujah, witnesses said, while a US Apache helicopter crashed nearby after an apparent ground-fire attack. The two crew escaped unhurt.

"In the last three or four weeks we've seen a rather dramatic reduction in the number of attacks on the coalition," Bremer said.

"They are down by about 50 per cent."

UN undersecretary-general for political affairs Kieran Prendergast sent a letter to US Ambassador John Negroponte saying a four-member UN team would be dispatched to Baghdad to assess security conditions.

Herald Feature: Iraq