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16 workers, 4 Americans killed in Baghdad
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-27 09:16
A roadside bombing killed four American soldiers in southwestern Baghdad, the
U.S. command said, and 16 Iraqi government workers died in a hail of gunfire as
they left work on the western edge of the capital.
The bloodshed occurred against a backdrop of intense deliberations to forge a
new constitution by an August 15 deadline. A draft copy published Tuesday in a
government newspaper said Islam would be designated as the main source of
legislation - a departure from the model set down by U.S. authorities
during the occupation.
A statement by the U.S. command said the soldiers from Task Force Baghdad
died Sunday night when their vehicle ran over a roadside bomb in the southwest
of the city. The statement gave no further details.
However, Jim Driscoll, a spokesman for the Georgia National Guard, said the
victims were assigned to the 48th Infantry Brigade. They were the Georgia Guard
unit's first combat casualties since World War II.
The 16 Iraqi government employees were killed Tuesday evening on the western
edge of the capital when gunmen fired at a pair of buses taking them from an
Industry Ministry facility to their homes in Shiite neighborhoods.
Gunmen in two cars followed the buses and opened fire, also wounding 27
passengers, officials said.
U.S. and Iraqi officials hope that the new constitution and the government to
be elected in December will help take the steam out of the insurgency,
especially if the Sunni Arab community accepts the formula. Most of the
insurgents are Sunni Arabs.
"It's very important that the constitution is produced through the
participation of all Iraqis," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters
Tuesday. "This is important for ending and defeating the insurgency," adding
that Sunni Arabs can count on the United States to ensure their interests are
protected.
However, a draft published Tuesday in the state-owned Al-Sabah newspaper
included several key points demanded by the majority Shiites. The draft not only
states that Islam is the main source of legislation but that no law will be
approved that contradicts "the rules of Islam."
That requirement that could affect women's rights and set Iraq on a course
far different from the one envisioned when U.S.-led forces invaded in 2003 to
topple Saddam Hussein.
"Islam is the official religion of the state and is the main source of
legislation," the draft reads. "No law that contradicts with its rules can be
promulgated."
The document also grants the Shiite religious leadership in Najaf a "guiding
role" in recognition of its "high national and religious symbolism."
Al-Sabah noted, however, that there were unspecified differences among the
committee on the Najaf portion. Those would presumably include Kurds, Sunni
Arabs and secular Shiites on the 71-member committee.
During the U.S.-run occupation, which ended June 28, 2004, key Shiite and
some Sunni politicians sought to have Islam designated the main source of
legislation in the interim constitution, which took effect in March 2004.
However, the U.S. governor of Iraq, L. Paul Bremer agreed only that Islam
would be considered "a source" _ but not the only one. At the time, prominent
Shiite politicians agreed to forego a public battle with Bremer and pursue the
issue during the drafting of the permanent constitution.
Some women's groups fear strict interpretation of Islamic principles could
erode their rights in such areas as divorce and inheritance. It could also move
Iraq toward a more religiously based society than was envisioned by U.S.
planners who hoped it would be a beacon of Western-style democracy in a region
of one-party rule and theocratic regimes.
Members of the constitutional committee said the draft was among several and
none would be final until parliament approves the charter by August 15.
Sunni Arabs involved in writing the charter have complained that Shiites and
Kurds are trying to steamroll their version of the draft. The Sunnis agreed only
Monday to resume work on the committee after they walked out to protest the
assassination of two colleagues this month.
Sunni Arab support is crucial because the charter can be scuttled if voters
in three of Iraq's 18 provinces reject it by a two-thirds majority _ and Sunni
Arabs are a majority in four provinces. Sunni Arabs make up about 20 percent of
Iraq's 27 million people but dominate areas where the insurgency is raging.
If August 15 deadline is met, voters will decide whether to approve the
charter in mid-October and if they do, another general election will take place
in December.
In an Internet statement Tuesday, al-Qaida's wing in Iraq warned Iraqis not
to take part in the constitutional referendum, saying democracy goes against
God's law and anyone who participates would be considered an "infidel," and
earmarked for death.
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