Wounding of Ukrainians Could Give Other Nations Pause

When Ukrainian troops were ambushed outside town this week, it came as no surprise to the residents or the police.

Suwayrah police commander Lt. Col. Salih Mahdi Kunaihir said Thursday that he had warned the Ukrainian forces they were vulnerable to attack and advised them to vary their route as they went on patrol in this sector about 40 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Seven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded when two armored personnel carriers were attacked Tuesday night while returning to a base 10 miles south of here. At least 10 gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles were involved in the attack.

The Ukrainian soldiers were apparently the first combat casualties from countries that have recently sent troops to augment the U.S.-led coalition.

“We advised them to be careful passing through that neighborhood,” Kunaihir said. “We warned them about this.”

The incident is likely to add to the concerns of countries debating whether to grant President Bush’s request that they send troops to broaden the Iraqi occupation forces.

So far, 30 countries have committed more than 15,000 troops to Iraq to assist U.S. and British forces in peacekeeping efforts. Most operate under Polish command in the central part of the country south of Baghdad. An additional 14 nations are considering providing troops.

Among those most nervous about sending soldiers is Japan, whose forces have not engaged in combat since World War II. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has agreed to send troops to aid in reconstruction, tried to duck the issue Thursday, saying: “We won’t allow Iraq to collapse, but we won’t take part in warfare.”

More than 1,600 Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Iraq in August. They have been welcomed by many Iraqis, who see them as kinder and gentler than the American soldiers who first occupied the area around Suwayrah. Others complain that the Ukrainians are too soft in combating resistance fighters still operating in the area.

On Thursday, members of a Ukrainian unit on patrol outside Suwayrah said they were not worried about the danger in Iraq and were just as comfortable here as at home.

“It’s all the same,” said a Ukrainian officer who asked not to be identified. “Ninety percent of the Iraqis welcome us. The other 10% are hostile.”

Four of the soldiers injured in Tuesday’s attack remained hospitalized in Baghdad, he said. The other three suffered minor injuries and were released.

Elsewhere in Iraq, resistance fighters Thursday bombed a military supply train near Fallouja, about 35 miles west of Baghdad, setting four shipping containers ablaze. Looters descended upon the train and took computers, tents, bottled water and other supplies.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad, an after-dark explosion in the Old City started a fire near a printing plant. Two Iraqis were reported killed.

North of Baghdad, two U.S. soldiers were injured when bombs went off near a patrol.

Here in Suwayrah, a farming town of about 100,000 people, Iraqi police were urgently working Thursday to protect themselves from a possible suicide bombing. Four police stations were targeted Monday in Baghdad along with the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 200.

After receiving a warning about the the Suwayrah police station, authorities blocked all the streets around the station with logs, concrete barriers and barbed wire. “The Ukrainians were targeted,” said Kunaihir, the police commander. “The next target may be us.”

Some residents are happy that the Ukrainians have taken over from the Americans, who they complained insulted residents and showed disrespect to Iraqi women when raiding homes or conducting body searches.

“The Ukrainians treat us in a very nice way, completely different from the Americans,” said Adnan Hamid Abbas, a lawyer. “They never shout at us.”

But others said the Ukrainians’ easygoing nature meant they were not as aggressive as the Americans in eradicating supporters of Saddam Hussein or resistance fighters who were staging attacks in the area.

“The Ukrainians are cowards while the Americans are tough,” said Ghasan Ali Izzi, a television shopkeeper. “I prefer the Americans.”

Police here said international forces would not be needed if the Iraqi Governing Council and U.S. administrators would supply adequate weapons and ammunition to the police.

Kunaihir said he had only 18 assault rifles for 200 officers, making it difficult to conduct operations against resistance fighters. One police lieutenant, Rayath Abel Taje, said he had to borrow a pistol to go out on raids with his officers.

“We don’t need the Americans to protect us,” Taje said. “Just give us the weapons, and we can do it ourselves.”

Associated Press contributed to this report.