Coalition forces vow to resist hostile acts

AN American soldier died of wounds suffered in an attack in Baghdad as Iraqis, angered by a deadly blast near a mosque west of the capital, yesterday vowed to wage holy war against US occupying forces.

US officials said their soldiers were in Iraq for the long haul, despite a sharp rise in attacks against the US-led force that ousted Saddam Hussein in April.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw made a lightning visit to Iraq as the bodies of six British soldiers killed a week ago in clashes over arms searches were flown home.