the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya, news reports and officials said. Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi called the bombing, an "act of terrorism". He said the soldiers died when they were "doing their duty to help the Iraqi people rediscover peace, order, and security."
The suicide truck bomb was detonated in front of the base shortly before midday and officials said the number of dead could rise as soldiers were feared to be trapped in the rubble.
These deaths were the first suffered by Italian troops suffered in the U.S.-led multinational force, after last week another ally of the United States, Poland, served its first combat fatality.
EVANGELICALS CONTINUE
The latest violence came a day after the Christian mission organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM) made clear it wants to continue to operate in the volatile country, amid signs of a renewed interest among Muslims in the Gospel of Christ.
YWAM had earlier appealed to supporters "to move in faith not react in fear, in response to the needs of the people of Iraq," despite ongoing bloodshed. Other Christian and evangelical organizations are also active in Iraq, at a time when many foreign United Nations and International Red Cross workers have left.
As rescue operations continued, officials in Washington looked into ways to transfer authority to Iraqis in meetings that were to be attended by Paul Bremer, the embattled American administrator in Iraq who was called back for urgent talks by the White House.
The Voice of America (VOA) quoted members of the U-S appointed Governing Council in Baghdad as saying they support the idea of forming a provisional government that would assume full sovereignty while a constitution is written and elections held.
PRESSURE MOUNTING
Pressure is mounting on the administration of George W. Bush to improve the security situation, as leaders of countries that supported the war are facing tough questions at home. A latest opinion poll in Poland shows that nearly 6 out of 10 Poles oppose the Iraqi mission, BosNewsLife monitored.
In Italy, the Italian parliament suspended its meeting and there were calls for parliament to reassess Italy’s military presence in Iraq, news reports said.
The latest attacks have highlighted concern among Americans and local Christians, who are often seen as allies, about what they see as growing Muslim extremism that has also spread to nearby Saudi Arabia.
On Wednesday, November 12, Saudi Arabia denied media reports that its security forces arrested suspects in Saturday’s suicide bombing of a Riyadh housing complex, which left at least 17 people dead and about 120 injured.
AL QAIDA
The announcement came as the Al Qaida terrorism group claimed responsibility for the Riyadh attack Despite the set-backs in the area, and especially in Iraq, U.S. President George W. Bush pledged that his troops and their allies would claim victory over the remnants of the old regime.
"Over time, Ba’ath Party and fedayeen fighters and other Saddam loyalists have organized to attack our forces, to terrorize international aid workers and to murder innocent Iraqis," Bush said in a Veterans Day speech to members of the Heritage Foundation, Tuesday November 11.
He had earlier began his morning at Arlington National Cemetery, where he laid the customary wreath atop the Tomb of the Unknowns. Similar events took place across Europe, including in London, where a memorial was dedicated by the Australian and British prime ministers and the queen to honor the 1.5 million Australians who served in the two World Wars. More than 100,000 Australian troops lost their lives in battle.
