'No backdown' despite killings

By GREG ANSLEY


CANBERRA - The Australian Government yesterday renewed its resolve to keep its forces in Iraq as a terror group linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a car-bomb attack on an armoured convoy that injured three soldiers, killed three Iraqis and injured 16 bystanders.

The bomb, detonated by remote control in a parked taxi, rocked the street near Canberra's Baghdad embassy as three light armoured vehicles (LAVs) moved out on patrol on Monday morning, local time.

One soldier from the Darwin-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment required surgery to his face and two others were treated at hospital for minor injuries.

The blast resonated yesterday around Australia, with the first combat casualties of Australia's Iraq commitment coming two weeks after an election in which the deployment played a leading role, and sparking warnings of more violence to come.

While Prime Minister John Howard remained resolute on a continued presence in Iraq during his successful campaign for a fourth successive term, the Labor Opposition had promised to bring the troops home by Christmas.

Yesterday Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said despite claims Monday's bomb had specifically targeted Australians, the troops would stay in Iraq as long asrequired.

Armoured and infantry troops are there to protect diplomatic staff at the embassy - due to be moved to a safer area early next year - and to help train the new Iraqi Army.

They also demonstrate Canberra's commitment to the US alliance and the American-led "Coalition of the Willing".

Downer said any move to bring them home would have major implications for Australia's important political and economic interests in Iraq, and would disrupt the creation of an Army for the new Government.

"It's crucial to train up a new Iraqi Army so the Iraqis themselves can take control of security there," he said on radio.

Downer also said he expected violence to increase as next January's Iraqi elections approached.

A key concern emerging from Monday's attack is that Iraqi insurgents may now be specifically targeting Australians, rather than as members of the broader coalition.

An Islamic website claimed the attack had been made by a group associated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al Qaeda Group of Jihad in the Land of Two Rivers.

The ABC also reported yesterday that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation had received specific information of a threat by the Lebanese-based Hizbollah.

The ABC said ASIO had learnt that Hizbollah, which is active in Iraq, specifically intended to attack Australian troops in Iraq because of Australia's role in the invasion.

Downer said he was investigating the possibility that news crews - which arrived within minutes of the attack - had been tipped off about Monday's bomb.



Herald Feature: Iraq