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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2004)
Nation & World News U.S. troops continue to battle insurgents in Iraq As fighting goes on, Spain announces it plans to pull its troops out within 15 days By Matthew Schofield and Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT) BAGHDAD — As the fighting in Iraq widened and the death toll con tinued to mount on Sunday, Spain's new prime minister said he's ordered his country's troops out of Iraq as soon as possible and the top U.S. civilian administrator conceded that Iraqi police and security forces aren't ready to protect the country from in surgents. A dozen American soldiers died on Saturday, 10 of them in action and two in accidents, bringing the number of American soldiers killed in action in Iraq so far this month to 98, more than died from enemy fire during the U.S.-led invasion a year ago. . Facing a self-imposed June 30 deadline to return sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government that still hasn't been chosen, the Bush admin istration is now fighting to keep roads and supply lines open, battling insur gents virtually nationwide and trying to hold together an international coalition strained by killings, kidnap pings and now by Spain's withdrawal. An Egyptian news agency on Sunday quoted Spain's new foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, as saying that Spain plans to withdraw its 1,300 troops from Iraq within 15 days. The White House said it had ex pected the move, which new Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero had promised, but Sen. John Warner, R-Va., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Commit tee, on Sunday called it "trouble some, " saying: "It will put pressure on the other coalition nations that have joined in this, I'm sure." Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, charged Sunday that the Bush admin istration has been "stunningly ineffec tive" on Iraq and said it will take a new president to build a broader in ternational coalition there. "(Spain's withdrawal) will put pressure on the other coalition nations that have joined in this, I'm sure." Sen. John Warner, R-Va. The U.S.-led coalition is facing sep arate Sunni and Shiite Muslim upris ings, and the fighting widened on Sat urday when five Marines were killed after they were ambushed on the Syri an border. That prompted Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to demand that Syria do more to prevent foreign fighters from crossing into Iraq. Iraqi security forces will not be ready to safeguard the nation against militants by the June 30 power trans fer, U.S. civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer said Sunday. Another Marine died in al Anbar province, home to both Fallujah and Ramadi, in the Sunni Triangle that's been a hotbed of resistance to the U.S.-led occupation. Three soldiers died south of Baghdad when their convoy was ambushed near Ad Diwaniyah. Another died in the southern part of Baghdad after a road side bomb exploded. Two more died in apparent accidents, one when his Abrams tank rolled over in the north ern part of the capital and another when he was electrocuted while work ing on a generator in Tikrit. Roadside bombs and ambushes continue to bedevil U.S. and allied uoops, and coalition forces kept the major highways out of Baghdad dosed on Sunday. The road west to Jordan has been dosed since fighting intensified earlier this month in Fallujah. Despite an announcement that some convoys are moving again, sol diers in Baghdad have complained that they re afraid they'll be back on Meals Ready to Eat — prepackaged, long-storing "foods" — because not enough fresh supplies are coming from Kuwait and Jordan. In Fallujah and Ramadi, a shaky peace continued to hold on Sunday, and sites were designated in the city for guerrillas to surrender weapons such as missiles, mortars and rocket propelled grenades. Talks were scheduled to continue on Tuesday in Baghdad between com munity leaders and coalition repre sentatives. More than 2,000 Marines remain dug in around the mostly Sunni Muslim town, and coalition of ficials have said they're prepared to re sume offensive operations if talks fail to produce progress. The other flashpoint in Iraq re mains Najaf, where 2,500 American soldiers have joined a Spanish con tingent in an attempt to shut down outlawed Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr. Attempts to negotiate a compro mise over al Sadr with the Americans remained at a standstill, spokesman Qais al Khazali said on Sunday. (c) 2004, Knight Ridder/fribune Information Services. Schofield reported from Baghdad and Nelson from Najaf. Knight Ridder Newspapers correspondent Patrick Peterson contributed from Fallujah. PHOTO SPECIALS APRIL 19-25 $2.00 OFF DOUBLE PRINTS: 3x5 prints: 12 exp $1.25 24 exp $3.25 36 exp $5.25 4x6 prints: 12 exp $3.25 24 exp $5.25 36 exp $8.25 From 35mm 'C-41 color print him. Panoramic and halfjranie negatives excluded, FUJICOLOR UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BOOKSTORE www.uobookstore.com Come Celebrate “Hiking Day” Sat April 24th Come in and enjoy a day of FREE discussions, seminars and resources for getting the most out of hiking in Oregon. * 11am -12 pm * Shoe/Boot Fitting and Foot Health Clinic. * 12 pm - 2 pm * Book Signing - Bill Sullivan local author of 12 books including “Cabin Fever”. * 2 pm - 3 pm * Effective Packing Tips for a Day Hike. * 3 pm - 4 pm * Hiking Safety Clinic. * 4 pm - 5 pm * Wilderness Navigation Clinic. 1 - FREE PARKING - I Hours: 10-6 Mon-Sat /12-5 Sun www.mckenzieoutfitters.com . 566 Olive St. Downtown Eugene ✓ 343-2300 < 2004 UO Summer Session Catalog is here! Book Your Summer in Oregon The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution c Get Ready for Summer. Plan Your Classes Now! The (JO Summer Session Catalog with Schedule of Classes is available on campus. It’s free. Summer session starts June 21. 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