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Inside Ukraine Newsletter, Kyiv, Ukraine, April 8, 2004
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KYIV - Reports from inside Iraq and from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry in
Kyiv revealed that Ukraine's peacekeeping contingent in the city of al Kut,
Iraq came under heavy fire from insurgents during Wednesday morning.
The attacks were apparently directed at allowing the supporters of the young
firebrand Sheikh Muqtada al-Sadr to take over the Coalition Provisional
Administration (CPA) building in the city that was one of the major security
responsibilities of the Ukrainian military contingent.
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Ukrainian soldiers take shelter in al Kut
AFP/Karim Sahib
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Eventually, a decision was made that it would be necessary in the interests
of CPA personnel and the Ukrainian troops that a strategic withdrawal be
effected. This was accomplished with the assistance of the main body of
peacekeeping troops and with air support by attack helicopters.
As of the latest reports, neither any of the CPA personnel nor any of the
Ukrainian troops had been killed or injured on Wednesday although there were
claims that considerable numbers of the attacking insurgent forces had been
killed.
The attack on Ukrainian forces, the largest since they arrived in Iraq, came
only a matter of hours after one Ukrainian soldier was killed and five
others injured during a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a Ukrainian
armored vehicle.
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The first combat-related death among Ukrainian forces on Tuesday led to
strident calls in Wednesday's parliament session in Kyiv for a withdrawal
of the troops. In the past, those strongly opposed to the troop presence in
Iraq had been primarily from the Communist and Socialist factions. However,
those parliament members who made public statements Wednesday were
more diverse politically and included many centrist deputies who had earlier
been either silent or supported the commitment to the U.S. Coalition.
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In spite of parliamentary criticisms, an emergency meeting on Wednesday of
the National Security and Defense Council made it clear that the president
and other top administration officials are still strongly committed to
Ukraine's troops contingent remaining in Iraq. The NSDC voted to increase
the salaries of troops in the war zone, expanded payments in case of death
or disability, and accorded military personnel credit for three years toward
retirement for each year spent in Iraq.
The one combat death brought to four the number of Ukrainian military
personnel who have died in Iraq. The previous deaths resulted from road
accidents and other non-combat causes.
Media observers noted that, apparently in keeping with government
instructions, there was no coverage on the national television channels of
the combat operations of Ukrainian troops. For many Ukrainians who have
access to Internet services, the first word came through news stories
carried on the website of the New York Times.
FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY
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