The FBI will take over investigating the bombing attack of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad as authorities suspect that operatives with links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network may be operating in Iraq.
The bombing, which killed 19 people and injured more than 50 on Thursday, was the first large-scale attack since Baghdad fell to U.S. forces April 9.
US authorities are looking at Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaeda-linked group, as a potential suspect, Lt. Gen. Norton Schwartz, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told U.S.-run Radio Sawa.
"The one organization that we have confidence and that we know is in Iraq and in the Baghdad area is Ansar al-Islam," he said, according to the AP. "It is unknown whether this particular organization was associated with the (bombing). Perhaps that'll become clear as we go down the road.
"But that is an al-Qaeda-related organization and one that we are focusing attention on," Schwartz added.
According to media reports, FBI agents will be dispatched to Iraq to secure and analyze evidence of the bombing. They also will train Iraqi investigators.
"We will do all we can to help the Iraqi authorities find these people and bring them to justice," L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator of Iraq, said in a press release distributed by the Defense Department.
Meanwhile, President Bush said Friday that the Washington has made considerable progress in Iraq in the 100 days after he declared an end to major fighting in the country.
Bush spoke to the media at his Crawford ranch, alongside Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld following a military briefing. The president was joined by Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In his statement, the president also mourned the growing loss of American life in Iraq but said the fighting is part of the larger-scale war against terrorism.
"Our country is a country that grieves with those who sacrifice, and our heartfelt sympathies and appreciations go to the loved ones of any soldier who's willing to defend the security of the United States," Bush said. "It's very important for people to understand that this is a part of the war on terror, that we're dealing with terrorists today."
Bush said the government of post-war Iraq is moving toward democracy and coalition soldiers are breaking down remaining elements of Saddam Hussein's regime.
He added that infrastructure is improving in Iraq, a sign the country is moving in the right direction. "Banks are now opening up, infrastructure is improving. The ultimate goal is for the infrastructure to be the best in the region," Bush said.
The US leader also responded to a question about an increasing number of critics who say Americans were misled before the war when the president said Iraq was an imminent threat and possessed weapons of mass destruction. The president brushed off the criticism as "pure politics." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
