US National Guard troops from Louisiana and other Gulf states won’t be pulled out of Iraq ahead of schedule, despite the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, the US command said today.

ONE US soldier died in a rebel ambush and two others were killed in bomb explosions yesterday, one of the bloodiest days for the US military since the capture of Saddam Hussein on December 13.

An audio broadcast purportedly made by Saddam Hussein told Iraqis today to step up their resistance to the US-led occupation, saying the United States and its allies misjudged the difficulty of occupying Iraq.