<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=blackheading>All,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=blackheading></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=blackheading>There is a little different
slant to the news coming from down under. (Australia) Notice it is already
tomorrow there!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=blackheading></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=blackheading>Dick Schmidt</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
class=blackheading></SPAN></FONT></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><SPAN class=blackheading>US to blame
for massacre: Allawi</SPAN><BR></FONT></FONT></STRONG><FONT size=2><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN class=bodytext>From correspondents in Baghdad,
Iraq</SPAN><BR><SPAN class=bodytext>October 27, 2004</SPAN><BR></DIV><!-- Ad Tag //--></FONT></FONT><SPAN class=bodytext>
<P>IRAQI Prime Minister Iyad Allawi today blamed "gross negligence" by some
elements of the US-led military in Iraq for the slaying of 49 unarmed army
recruits and three drivers on Saturday.<BR><BR>"I think it was because of gross
negligence by some elements within the multinational forces," Mr Allawi told the
country's interim parliament, without giving details.
<P>"The killings represent the epitome of what could be done to hurt Iraq and
the Iraqi people," he said.
<P>An investigation into the deaths had been launched.
<P>He characterised as a "dangerous precedent" the ambush and killing of army
basic-training graduates as they were on their way from the Kirkush base near
the Iranian border to their homes in the south.
<P>
<DIV align=left>Accusations were flying about how the recruits had been left
defenceless in the windswept desert plain, cut off from all communication.
</DIV>
<P>Nassir al-Shadershi, a member of parliament, had earlier accused authorities
of failing in "their obligation to protect our own security forces".
<P>The chief spokesman for US-led foreign troops in Iraq, Brigadier General Erv
Lessel, was not available for comment on Mr Allawi's remarks.
<P>One of his aides said: "Obviously the training of Iraq's security forces is
critical, so we will continue our partnership with the Iraqi government to
mature the ICF (Iraqi security forces)."
<P>The US 1st Infantry Division commands the area where the corpses of the
soldiers were discovered on the road between Baladruz and Badra, south of
Baquba, a town 60km north-east of Baghdad.
<P>The US military has been leading the effort in training Iraq's nascent
police, army and national guard at bases like Kirkush near the eastern city of
Mandali.
<P>But problems ranging from loyalty to lack of proper body armour and to badly
protected vehicles continue to plague the force.
<P>And incidents like the soldier massacre has brought to the forefront the
danger that Iraq's forces may have been infiltrated by insurgents.
<P>Before Mr Allawi addressed parliament, Interior Minister Falah Naqib spoke of
the challenges facing Iraq's forces, alluding to the risk that some of them may
be prone to bribes given the difficult economic conditions facing the country.
<P>"Our forces are ill-equipped and poorly trained to tackle terrorism," he
said.
<P>"We have information that men (some members of the security forces) get
$US500 ($669) for carrying out one operation and that an additional bonus is
paid if a policeman or national guard is killed in the attack." <BR><BR><SPAN
class=bodytext><I><FONT face=Arial size=2>Agence
France-Presse</FONT></I></SPAN><BR></P></SPAN></BODY></HTML>