Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
..
.-from wealthy countries is fading rapidly.
In part, U.S. officials say, donor nations
are balking at the large sums, especially
after Bush's aides had argued
that Iraq was so rich with oil reserves
that it could pay for nearly all of its own
revitalization. French and German
leaders cite the war and Bush himself -
both still deeply unpopular in Europe
- as another reason they will have a
hard time persuading people to put up
muchmoney .
The European Union has suggested
donating $250million, according to Bush
administration officials, who say they
are shocked at such a small sum. Canada
says it may give about $200 million, and
Japanese officials are reported by news
organizations in Tokyo to be considering
something in the range of$1 billion.
But few officials in the administration
say they are sure what the final sum
will be. A lot depends, they say, on thé
reception accorded the new U.s. resolution
on Iraq, which administration officials
say can pass the Security Council
but not necessarily unanimously. As the
numbers relating to Iraq's needs began
leaking on Wednesday, many things remained
unclear.
International economic officials say
the World Bank and the UN Development
Fund, which came up with the $36
billion figure, bave been scrupulous in
assessing Iraq's needs. But the officials
made no effort to suggest where the
money would come from.
Confusion was further stirred by the
Bush administration's sepàrate request
for $20 billion in Iraq aid from Congress
for 2004. H that money is approved, it
. will pay for some of the needs assessed
by the United Nations and the World
Bank, and for some assessed by the u.s.-
led occupation, various officials said.
1b~ New York nllW's
'Lethal, sophisticated' Iraqi enemy
.takes toll on u.s. troops
The Associated
Press
BAGHDAD: Nearly six months after
the fall of Baghdad, U.S. troops are suffering
an average of three to six deaths -
and 40 wounded every week as Iraqi resistance
forces become more lethal and
sophisticated due in part to an influx of
fighters from Syria and northern Iran,
the commander of coalition forces said
Thursday.
"The enemy bas evolved - a little bit
more lethal, a little more complex, a
little more sophisticated, and in some
cases, a little bit more tenacious," Lieutenant
General Ricardo Sanchez said.
Since President George W. Bush de-
.clared the end to major combat operations
May I, an estimated 90 American
soldiers have been kill~dby hostile fire
in a low-level, guerrilla-style insurgency.
A total of 314 Americans have
died since the war began March 20, according
to the U.S. Defense Department
_
ln the latest violence, a group of
about 10 U.S. soldiers came under fire
in .Falluja, 50 kilometers, or 30 miles,
west of Baghdad, in front of the mayor's
office; No Americans were killed or
wounded but one Iraqi bystander was
killed and four people, including a
mother and her 4-year-old daughter,
were wounded, hospital officials said.
Most wounded Americans are
treated at two military hospitals in Iraq,
according to U.S. officials. Those with
more serious injuries are evacuated to
the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl,
Germany .. A _hospital spokeswoman,
Marie Shaw, said Lanrlstuhl has been
receiving an average of 40 to 44 patients
a day from Iraq, about 10to 12percent of
whom are classified as "battle injuries."
Since the start ofthe conflict, the hospital
has treated 6,684 patients - 5,377
after Blish declared an end to major
combat, she said. _ _
"What we don't see a lot of, though we
see some, is gunshot wounds," Shaw
said. "We see a lot of shrapnel wounds,
some amputations, some bums -
-mostly from individual explosive
devices."
Sanchez blamed the increasingly so-
.phisticated resistance on the addition of
.foreign fighters entering the country
. from Syria and northern Iran. U.S. soldiers
are facing 15-20 attacks a day,
counting roadside bombs. Most attacks
occur in Baghdad and the surrounding
Sunni stronghold to the west and north
of the capital.
"We believe there is in fact a foreign
fighter element. There is a terrorist ele-
,ment focused on the coalition and international
community in general and the
Iraqi people to try to disrupt the progress
being made," Sanchez said.
American troopsare facing seven to
10attacks a day by small groups of fighters,
Sanchez said. It was unclear whether
most of the attacks are orchestrated
oy local or foreign forces. -
Coalition officials are not discounting
the possibility that Saddam Hussein
may have a hand in coordinating the violence,
he said.
"It's very dear there is local com--
mand and control. We still are not se~ing
the national command and control
structure," though there are some signs
of regional coordination, Sanchez said.
Shortly before the attack in Falluja, a
fuel tanker in a U.S. convoy near Amiriyah,
southeast of the city, was hit by a
mine or roadside bomb, according to
Muhammad Hamid, who lives nearby.
He said a soldier in the passenger seat
of the cab pulling the tanker was killed
and the driver was wounded. The military
had no information on that attack.
In nearby Kbaldiyah, a roadside
bomb exploded as a U.S. convoy was
passing, but did not damage the American
vehicles. Elsewhere, a soldier from
the 100stAirborne Division and an Iraqi
bystander were wounded in an ambush
in Mosul, U.S. officials and Iraqi police
said.
)lt-ralb.:iiihQtrlbunt-
Octoher J, 2003
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