IRAQ: UNITED STATES MILITARY CONDEMN SUICIDE BOMBING AT THE UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS

Record ID: 338061

  • Title: IRAQ: UNITED STATES MILITARY CONDEMN SUICIDE BOMBING AT THE UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
  • Date: 23rd September 2003
  • Summary: (W5) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (SEPTEMBER 22, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV WRECKAGE REMOVED FROM WHERE CAR EXPLODED IN CAR PARK AT BACK OF CANAL HOTEL, UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) HEADQUARTERS; SLV UNITED STATES SOLDIERS EXAMINING SCENE; SLV BODY STRETCHERED AWAY BY IRAQI POLICE TO AMBULANCE (4 SHOTS) 0.47 2. SLV NEWS CONFERENCE WITH COALITION FORCES MILITARY SPOKESMAN IN
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA746TAOEKS9P0SZ7QGX4TWN91U
  • Story Text: The United States military has condemned the suicide
    bombing at the U.N. headquarters, and said such bombs can
    only be stopped with the help of the Iraqi people.

    The military spokesman for Iraq's coalition forces,
    Lieutenant Colonel George Krivo condemned the morning's
    attack on a United Nations car park in Baghdad on Monday
    (September 22), which he described as a "cowardly act".

    In the atttack a suicide car bomber blew himself up
    near the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, also killing a
    security guard and wounding 19 people.

    Krivo said such attacks could only be stopped with the
    help of the Iraqi people and denied reports that any deal
    has been brokered with ousted Iraqi President Saddam
    Hussein, as reported in the Mirror newspaper in the United
    Kingdom.

    "The coalition condemns in the strongest possible terms
    this heinous crime which took the life of two and injured
    at least 12 employees of the United Nations in Baghdad.

    Once again the United Nations, which has no mission here
    except for helping the people of Iraq, has been subjected
    to another cowardly act in which mainly the people of Iraq
    have been hurt. This is the height of absurdity when an
    individual kills himself in order to kill innocent
    civilians on a humanitarian mission," he said.

    He said the coalition may have reached the most
    difficult stage of its presence in Iraq but denied that it
    was failing to keep security or make significant progress
    in Iraq.

    "Any attack concerns us whether it's on Iraqi people,
    Coalition forces or anyone. It's a concern. There is a
    school of thought that says as you dig down through the
    layers of the onion you will, as you will, as you get to
    that centre hardened core that you get to the worst of the
    worst and maybe that's where we're headed here. We are
    getting down to the most hardened, most difficult, former
    regime loyalists and others who will stop at nothing to try
    and prevent the progress made through the vast majority of
    the country", he said.

    Krivo also responded to a question relating to reports
    at the weekend that the U.S. forces were in talks with
    deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and organizing his
    surrender.

    He said that there were no negotiations taking place
    with Iraq's former Defence Minister and that no deal of any
    kind was being brokered with Saddam Hussein.

    The former Iraqi defence minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed,
    number 27 on the most wanted list, gave himself to the
    101st Airborne division troops in the northern city of
    Mosul a few days ago. A London newspaper has reported that
    a deal was being made to facilitate the safe passage of
    Saddam Hussein to Belorussia.

    Krivo said, in reply to a question, concerning the
    possibility of bombings being halted in Iraq, that this was
    only possible with the help of the Iraqi people.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register