Dutch shocked over death of soldier

DUTCH authorities reacted with horror to the death of one of the country’s soldiers in Iraq but vowed that the Netherlands would not bow to terror and would maintain its troops in the country.

The 1,300-strong Dutch contingent serving in southern Iraq suffered its second fatality when a patrol came under attack late on Saturday.

Five other soldiers were wounded in the incident, but their condition was described as stable.

“This was not an attack by the Iraqi people but by individuals who are trying to sabotage the rebuilding of Iraq by their destructive actions,” Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said in a statement yesterday.

“We will not bow to terror. We give full support to our troops that will continue the reconstruction efforts together with other countries working to ensure Iraq’s future with the Iraqi people,” he added.

It was not clear who was responsible for the attack. A Dutch Defence Ministry spokeswoman could not confirm media reports that two Iraqi insurgents were killed in the ensuing gun battle.

Defence Minster Henk Kamp warned yesterday that the situation in Iraq was getting more dangerous, but he insisted that the troops would not change their routine.