| Subject: Convoy Of Russian Ambassador In Baghdad Attacked |
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Date Posted: 17:52:23 04/06/03 Sun
Convoy Of Russian Ambassador In Baghdad Attacked
6 April 2003
A Russian police officer passes in front of a poster on a street in Moscow, accusing U.S. President George Bush of murder.
MOSCOW, April 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The convoy carrying the Russian ambassador to Iraq and diplomatic staff came under gunfire Sunday, April 6, on the road from Baghdad to Syria and several people were injured, a Russian foreign ministry spokesman said.
"The car convoy with members of the Russian embassy in Iraq, including the ambassador, came under attack leaving Baghdad in the direction of the Syrian border," the spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He said officials did not yet know whether the convoy came under attack from Iraqi or U.S.-led coalition forces or if the envoy himself was among the injured.
The Russian foreign ministry summoned the U.S. and Iraqi ambassadors to Moscow "urgently and in a harsh way", the spokesman said, adding that it demanded "they take all possible measures to ensure the security of Russian citizens."
Russian ambassador to Iraq Vladimir Titorenko left Baghdad for Damascus early Sunday as U.S. troops advanced on the Iraqi capital.
President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the incident, his spokesman Boris Gromov said.
A witness told Interfax news agency from Baghdad that around 25 people -- mostly Russian journalists -- were driving in the convoy, which he said came under attack twice.
"In Baghdad, everything went calmly. When we left the city, we saw that there was fighting up ahead, so we decided to turn around and eight kilometers from Baghdad, we came under fire. Several people were injured," the witness told Interfax.
"We bandaged the wounded, left a car behind and kept going. But then around 15 kilometers from Baghdad we came upon a jeep convoy," he said.
"We stopped so as not to provoke them and we sent a car ahead with a flag to show who we were, but then we came under fire again," he told Interfax.
"Two more people were hurt -- thank God no one was killed.
"Then the jeeps left, we got on to the main road and now the main thing is to get to a hospital," he added.
Russia, one of the most fervent opponents to the U.S.-led war, had kept its Baghdad embassy operational with a skeleton staff after withdrawing all non-essential personnel in the days leading up to the start of the U.S.-led offensive on March 20.
Russia protested loudly last week when the building was almost hit by U.S. bombs.
U.S. Investigating
The U.S. Central Command said Sunday it was looking into reports that its troops had attacked a Russian diplomatic convoy on the road from Iraq to Syria.
"Central Command is investigating this report and more details will be released as soon as they are available," a statement from the coalition war headquarters said.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/News/2003-04/06/article06.shtml
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