US mounts bombing raid after helicopter attack

TIKRIT - United States warplanes, in a swift response to the downing of another American helicopter, bombed targets in Iraq yesterday for the first time since President George W. Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

The US offensive came as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was temporarily shutting its offices in the Iraqi capital and the southern city of Basra because of safety concerns. A car bombing at the Red Cross headquarters in Baghdad last month killed 12 people.

As the American military reported the deaths of two more of its soldiers in a bomb attack in the flashpoint town of Fallujah, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told a news conference in Baghdad that Iraq was still a "war zone".

"We are involved in an insurgency, and that's pretty close to war," Armitage said.

Their deaths brought to 34 the number of American soldiers who have died in Iraq this month as resistance escalated during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

In Baghdad, guerrillas fired at least one mortar which landed close to the US-led administration headquarters in the city, but caused no casualties. It was the third mortar attack on Baghdad this week.

The US Army said the air strikes targeting suspected guerrilla hideouts in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit was a "show of force" after insurgents killed six soldiers when they shot down a Black Hawk helicopter.

F-16 fighter-bombers swooped over Tikrit, dropping 225kg bombs near the crash site. Troops backed by armour and attack helicopters destroyed several abandoned houses which the US military believed had been used by insurgents.

The ICRC announced the temporary closure of its Baghdad and Basra offices, and spokesman Florian Westphal added: "We are still discussing what to do with our foreign staff. The situation is extremely dangerous and volatile."

But the Italian arm of the Red Cross said its 32-strong staff would remain in Iraq.

On October 27, suicide car bombers attacked the ICRC and three police stations in Baghdad, killing at least 35 people.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq