Arroyo condemns Iraq truck bombing

President Arroyo condemned yesterday the truck bombing that killed 25 people in Iraq and stressed that Filipino troops among the US-led coalition forces will be staying put there.

"The Philippine government condemns in strongest terms the recent bombing incident in Iraq," Mrs. Arroyo said in a statement. "We sympathize with the Iraqi people and reiterate our firm resolve to rescue Iraq and its democratic institutions."

She said Filipino soldiers, policemen and humanitarian workers who are part of the coalition forces in Iraq "will stay and we will not be scared or discouraged in our mission."

The President also directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to determine if there were any Filipinos among the casualties in last Sunday’s bomb attack in the cane fields north of Baghdad "so that supportive measures can be undertaken."

Philippine officials led by Ambassador Roy Cimatu, head of the Middle East Preparedness Team (MEPT), are supervising the 350-strong peacekeeping and humanitarian force working with the rest of the international coalition to rebuild war-torn Iraq.

Mrs. Arroyo assured families and relatives of the Filipino contingent in Iraq that "our peacekeepers and humanitarian workers… know the score and have continuously observed vigilant measures to keep safe and secure" from retaliatory attacks by Iraqis loyal to fallen leader Saddam Hussein, who is now under US custody.

The Philippines is the leading Asian supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq and the US government considers Manila a key anti-terror ally in the region.

Soldiers on board a US armored vehicle were searching for land mines and roadside bombs near Taji, about 32 kilometers north of Baghdad, when a remote-controlled bomb exploded under their vehicle.

The blast flipped the 30-ton vehicle and set it afire, witnesses said. Among those killed were three American soldiers. At least 29 people, including six Americans, were wounded. — Marichu Villanueva, AFP