Four American contractors killed in Basra
The attack came a day after Iraqi president Jalal Talabani said Saddam Hussein has confessed to ordering killings and other crimes committed during his regime and “deserves to be executed 20 times a day for his crimes against humanity”.
But Abdel Haq Alani, a legal consultant to Saddam’s family, expressed scepticism about the claim, saying Talabani’s allegations sounded like the president was trying to prejudice the trial.
Three of the contractors were killed instantly and a fourth died after British troops took him to a military hospital after the bombing in Basra, said Peter Mitchell, a US Embassy spokesman.
“All four individuals worked for a private security firm supporting the regional US Embassy office in Basra,” Mitchell said in a statement.
Initial reports had indicated that the target of the attack was a British diplomatic convoy, but officials in London said no British personnel were involved.
An estimated 20,000 civilians are believed to be working for private defence contractors in Iraq. More than 200 have died there, including 13 employed by Blackwater Security Consulting.
Separately, Baha al-Araji, deputy head of the constitution committee, said Iraq’s new charter would be sent to the government printing house today.
He said it stood unchanged from the version sent to parliament by the drafting committee on August 28 after several deadlines were missed.
Talabani, a Kurd, said the version to be printed did contain one revision, a bow to an Arab League demand that the constitution acknowledge the country’s role as a founder of the pan-Arab group.
The document previously said that Iraq was an Islamic country but omitted references to its history as a key player in the Arab world.
Iraqis will vote on the charter in an October 15 referendum, with the outcome still not assured because of fundamental opposition from Sunni Arabs, who governed under Saddam.
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