'They want to break our will'

2003-11-30 20:07

Baghdad - Senior US officials in Iraq reacted defiantly on Sunday to an orgy of deadly violence against Washington's allies, acknowledging that anti-US insurgents had found an "easier way" of achieving their objectives but vowing it would not succeed.

"The attackers are trying to break the coalition's will and the will of the Iraqi people," said Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the US-led coalition's deputy director of operations.

"But the statements from the governments concerned show they intend to stay the course. Their will is stiffened and the reconstruction goes on."

The bloodshed over the weekend cost the lives of seven Spanish intelligence agents, two Japanese diplomats, at least two South Koreans and one Colombian civilian contractor.

It also undercut the boast of the top US commander here - ground forces chief Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez - on Saturday of a "great two weeks" for the coalition.

Eight civilian casualties suffered by the coalition combined with military losses of 94 take the month's death toll to 102 expatriate personnel.

But both Kimmitt and senior coalition civilian spokesperson Dan Senor charged that the rash of attacks against US allies was a deliberate attempt by the insurgents to create a climate of insecurity that was unrepresentative of the reality on the ground.

"The enemy is starting to target softer targets and Iraqi targets. He knows if he attacks American targets he will be killed or captured, and attacking soft targets is probably an easier way of achieving what he wants to achieve," said Kimmitt.

"They are clearly targeting the coalition to intimidate our allies. The foreign terrorists recognise that the stakes are very high. We recognize that the stakes are very high," he said.

"We have said for the past couple of weeks that this is a clever adaptive enemy who will try new things but they are facing a clever adaptive military that learns their techniques."

Senor dismissed as "isolated pockets of unrest" the rash of violence that has hit not only the coalition, but also its Iraqi police allies in both insurgent strongholds north and west of Baghdad, and elsewhere.

"They are trying to give the impression this is country is unsafe but the facts on the grounds show otherwise," he said.

Kimmitt acknowledged that the number of attacks on soft targets was going up but hailed a sharp fall in those on the coalition military.

"Early this month it went as high as 47. Today we had 11," he said.

- AFP