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Shell hits Japan's Iraq base
THE camp of Japanese troops engaged in a landmark non-combat mission in southern Iraq has been hit by a shell, a defence agency spokesman said today, amid mounting fears of violence against the forces. There were no injuries or damage, the press officer said."We found a mark of impact in an empty lot in the encampment," he said, adding that what appeared to be four other marks of impact were spotted outside the camp by an unmanned helicopter. But no shells were found after the attack. The marks were discovered after several large explosions were reportedly heard late yesterday near the camp in Samawah where Japanese soldiers, guarded by Australian troops, have been delivering humanitarian assistance.
The camp has been on heightened alert since June 23 when a vehicle in a Japanese convoy in Samawah was slightly damaged in a roadside explosion in which no one was injured. The Japanese camp has been directly shelled four times since January 11. Japan, a major US ally in Asia, has deployed 600 troops to the relatively peaceful area on a mission to help rebuild the war-torn country. It is officially pacifist Japan's first military deployment since the end of World War II to a country at war. Posted by: Steve 2005-07-05 |
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