Attacks do not stop Seoul and Tokyo from deploying troops in Iraq
Seoul (AsiaNews) President Roh Moo-hyun condemned the killing of two South Korean engineers in northern Iraq as "an intolerable act of terror" and "inhuman". His government said, however, that this would not cancel their plan to dispatch troops to Iraq.
On Sunday Nov. 30 snipers fired against and killed two South Koreans on a street near Tikrit, north of Baghdad. There were two others from South Korea wounded in the attack. The dead victims are Kim Man-soo, and Kwak Kyong-hae, aged 46 and 61 respectively. One of the wounded is in critical condition.
The 4 men were part of a group of 60 engineers sent last month to construct electrical transmission towers.
The Tikrit attack, the first against South Koreans, comes just when the government in Seoul is preparing to dispatch 3,000 armed troops to Iraq, where there are already working are some 100 military doctors and engineers. Ra Jong-il, South Korea's national security adviser, said the attack would not have any influence on the government's decision to send troops to Iraq. For now the date for deployment remains undecided.
Last Saturday 7 Spanish security officials were killed, along with 2 Japanese diplomats, 2 American soldiers and 1 Colombian ordinary citizen.
The 7 Spaniards were killed on the streets of Baghdad and Hilla. Arab television showed a crowd of Iraqis dancing atop destroyed vehicles, while mutilating corpses and shouting pro-Saddam slogans. The 2 Japanese men were killed while attending a meeting to organize humanitarian aid to the town of Tikrit. The Colombian man was killed near Baghdad.
Violent action taken against foreigners seems to be a response to push the coalition out of the country.
The Japanese government remains decided to send soldiers to Iraq. Its prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, said Japan has a responsibility in giving humanitarian aid and contributing to the rebuilding of Iraq. But in terms of public opinion there are signs of resistance. A phone inquiry, published today in the daily Mainichi Shimbun, showed that 43% of Japanese are opposed to sending troops, but the reasons mentioned are linked to economics and not to security.
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