Deadly Explosion in Iraqi Town Fuels Anger Against Americans

By EDMUND L. ANDREWS with KIRK SEMPLE

NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com

ALLUJA, Iraq, July 1 � An overnight blast at a mosque here killed at least four Iraqis and wounded several others, fueling anti-American anger and prompting residents to accuse the United States of launching an airstrike on the building.

In apparently unrelated incidents, at least seven American troops were injured today in three separate attacks as coalition forces continued their efforts to ferret out Iraqi militias loyal to Saddam Hussein.

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In Washington, President Bush reasserted this afternoon that American forces are vital to keep Iraq from slipping back into the hands of Saddam Hussein's loyalists, and that the United States would stay the course as long as necessary.

"There will be no return to tyranny in Iraq," Mr. Bush said. "And those who threaten the order and stability of that country will face ruin just as surely as the regime they once served."

The explosion at the Al Hassan mosque occurred late Monday in Falluja, about 30 miles west of Baghdad.

Townspeople blamed the United States for the destruction of the mosque, and insisted they heard American aircraft flying over the neighborhood before the blast.

But United States soldiers who were patrolling the site today said no coalition aircraft or American forces had been in the area at the time of the explosion. They contended that the blast patterns were inconsistent with a strike and reflected a blast from within.

American military officials said the explosion occurred shortly after evening prayers had ended and appeared to have originated in two rooms attached to the mosque, where the mosque's imam had his offices.

The imam, Sheik Leith Khalil, had recently spoken out against the presence of United States troops in Iraq and had called for a jihad against the occupying forces.

Despite American denials, the explosion stoked anger among Iraqis opposed to the presence of coalition forces in Iraq.

During a volatile funeral procession today for the victims of the explosion, Iraqis fired guns into the air and chanted anti-American slogans. "Allah is God," they yelled, "and America is the enemy of Allah."

In Baghdad today, three soldiers were injured by an "improvised explosive device," according to Sgt. Patrick Compton, a military spokesman in Baghdad. An interpreter traveling with the three soldiers was missing, he added.

The spokesman offered no further details on the attack but said his office was investigating news agency reports quoting witnesses saying that the four men were killed.

In an earlier incident near Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, a convoy of American military vehicles came under attack and three more American soldiers were wounded. One of the soldiers was quickly returned to duty and the two others were evacuated for medical treatment, Sergeant Compton said.

A rebel rocket-propelled grenade attack on American troops near Samarra, north of Baghdad, injured one American soldier, and near Kirkuk, two soldiers involved in a mine-clearing operation were injured when a mine exploded.

In western Baghdad, American troops shot and killed two people today when their car did not stop at a checkpoint, The Associated Press reported.

"None of this is surprising or unexpected," said L. Paul Bremer III, the American administrator in Iraq, speaking at a news conference today about the wave of attacks against coalition forces in recent days.

He said the coalition's enemies were "desperate."

Since Mr. Bush declared an end to major combat operations two months ago, at least 728 members of coalition forces in Iraq have been wounded, Sergeant Compton said. At least 154 of them have died in hostile actions and 75 have died in non-hostile actions, he said.

"The coalition will succeed in its goal to establish real freedom and democracy in Iraq; make no mistake about it," Mr. Bremer said. "We will succeed. And until these individuals realize that, they will remain in our sights."

Mr. Bush reasserted American resolve in Iraq today during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on the 30th anniversary of the all-volunteer military. Had the president wanted to, he could have confined himself to general remarks about patriotism and duty. Instead, he used the occasion to deliver a forceful message, which he reinforced through his chief spokesman, Ari Fleischer.

"The president views this as a matter in which he, as the commander in chief, authorized putting America's men and women of the military into harm's way," Mr. Fleischer said at an afternoon news briefing. "He did it knowingly. He did it because he believes in the cause of protecting world peace and the American people from the threat that Saddam Hussein's regime presented. That mission of toppling the regime has been accomplished."

But Mr. Fleischer added, "As the president warned the American people, there still is danger ahead in Iraq."