Bremer Says Iraq Not Less Secure Despite Attacks
Sun October 26, 2003 10:01 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. administrator in Iraq said on Sunday he did not think security in the country was deteriorating, despite rocket attacks on the Baghdad hotel where America's deputy defense secretary was staying.
"I don't think that is true," Paul Bremer told ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," when asked whether he thought Sunday's attacks were a sign security was worsening.
"We certainly had a bad day and as I have stressed all along we are going to have good days and bad days," he added.
But he conceded attacks on U.S. occupation forces appeared to be getting more dangerous.
"There is evidence that the terrorist groups are getting better organized and they are using now more sophisticated approaches, in particular the use of these improvised explosive devices alongside our convoys," said Bremer. "That is a serious problem and it is one that we will have to continue to get at."
Early on Sunday, guerrillas fired rockets at Baghdad's most heavily fortified hotel where U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying, killing an American soldier. Wolfowitz was very shaken but not hurt.
Bremer said bad news such as Sunday's attack on the Rashid Hotel overshadowed all the good news, such as restoring Iraq's power to pre-war levels and the lifting of a curfew in Baghdad in response to requests from restaurant owners.
The U.S. ruler in Iraq said he did not believe Iraqis were concerned about the latest attacks against U.S. forces but were more worried about criminal elements in the country, particularly as ousted President Saddam Hussein had released about 100,000 hardened criminals from jail.
"Those are the kind of people that the Iraqis are most concerned about," he said.
Bremer said most of the "terrorists" in Iraq were not Iraqis but came from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and across the border from Syria.
Border control was a major issue in Iraq, he said, adding that it was very difficult to seal the country's borders and that assistance from foreign troops would help here. |
