The United States on Wednesday suffered its worst day in Iraq since the war began when a marine helicopter crashed in the western desert and insurgents launched a new wave of attacks, leaving a total of 37 Americans dead.
United States President George Bush declared it ”a sad moment” but called for patience from Americans and courage from Iraqis at Sunday’s elections. He claimed he had ”firmly planted the flag of liberty” with his commitment to spread global democracy, and ruled out a quick exit for US troops after the Iraqi vote.
”We value life and we weep and mourn when soldiers lose their life,” the US president said at a White House press conference. ”But it is the long-term objective that is vital, and that is to spread freedom.”
On Wednesday early reports suggested there had been no hostile fire at the helicopter crash site near the Jordanian border, and that desert fog may have contributed to the accident. A military inquiry was launched into the crash.
The 30 marines and one sailor who died were carrying out security preparations for Sunday’s voting, General John Abizaid, the head of the US central command, said. There were no reports of survivors on the three-engined CH-53E Super Stallion, the biggest US helicopter in military service.
Four marines were killed in combat in the Anbar province in the heart of the Sunni triangle, a soldier was killed in north Baghdad, and another died in a roadside bombing in the capital.
For US troops, the death toll was heavier than their bloodiest day of the 2003 invasion, March 23, when 31 were killed.
The run-up to the elections has shown itself to be even more dangerous than the first few chaotic days, and this time it appears the insurgents, not the Americans, have gained the initiative.
Late on Wednesday 15 Iraqis were killed and at least 30 wounded when a suicide bomber detonated a fuel tanker near the offices of the Kurdish Democratic party in the north-western town of Sinjar. The insurgent group led by the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it carried out the attack.
In coordinated attacks, three suicide car bombers targeted an Iraqi army post, a police station and a road in the northern town of Riyadh, killing nine people and wounding at least 12, police said. A US patrol which went to the scene was ambushed by small-arms fire. In Baquba, north of Baghdad, one policeman died and at least eight people were wounded when gunfire raked the offices of three political parties.
In Mosul a video filmed by insurgents showed three hostages, who were described as electoral commission officials. Insurgent groups kept up their threats warning Iraqis to stay away from the polls, or face retaliation for collaborating with the US-led occupation. ”Oh people, be careful … not to be near the centres of infidelity and vice, the polling centres. Don’t blame us but blame yourselves,” said a statement released on the internet.
President Bush urged Iraqis to vote and ”defy these terrorists”. He said: ”They’re afraid of a free society.” Asked what turnout rate would be a success, he did not give a figure but said: ”The fact that they’re voting in itself is successful.”
He rejected claims that the vote would be a signal for the US to pull out, and would not give a timetable for withdrawal. ”I think the Iraqi people are wondering whether or not this nation has the will necessary to stand with them as a democracy evolves. The enemy would like nothing more than the United States to precipitously pull out and withdraw before the Iraqis are prepared to defend themselves.”
Bush portrayed the Iraq polls as a step towards the goal of defeating tyranny around the world as he pledged in his inaugural address last week.
”I firmly planted the flag of liberty for all to see that the United States of America hears their concerns and believes in their aspirations,” he said. ”And I am excited by the challenge and am honoured to be able to lead our nation in the quest of this noble goal, which is freeing people in the name of peace.” He reaffirmed the goal of spreading democracy elsewhere in the world.
Meanwhile, one of the architects of the Iraq invasion, Douglas Feith, announced his resignation yesterday, saying he would leave his job as chief policy adviser in the summer. He is the first neo-conservative to leave the administration, which has seen moderates leaving since Bush’s re-election. Pentagon critics blamed Feith’s office for passing on bogus intelligence on Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction.
In Baghdad, the interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, tried to calm the nervous population and project his authority. ”I promise you I will build a strong Iraqi force, able to take full responsibility for Iraq’s security and its citizens.” – Guardian Unlimited Â