Several mortars were fired Thursday at the Italian Embassy in Baghdad, killing several Iraqis, the Foreign Ministry in Rome said. No Italians were injured in the attack, the ministry said.
Two Iraqis were killed near the embassy, police sources said.
In the central Shiite town of Kufa, five civilians were killed and 15 others wounded in early morning clashes between fighters loyal to Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr and US troops, medics said, according to AFP.
On the political front, US President George W. Bush said that a Australian troop pullout from Iraq by Christmas, as pledged by the opposition, would be "disastrous."
"That would be disastrous. It would be a disastrous decision for the leader of a great country like Australia to say that 'we're pulling out,'" Bush said during a joint appearance with visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
According to AFP, Bush said he had promised Howard a "full accounting" of abuses of Iraqi detainees at US-run prisons. "Today, I assured the prime minister that my nation will conduct a full accounting of cruel and disgraceful abuse of Iraqi detainees," Bush commented. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
