In the U.S., the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a White House request for 87 billion dollars in supplemental funding for military operations and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Of the amount, 66.7 billion dollars was allotted to support American forces and the remaining 20.3 billion for Iraqi rebuilding.
The Appropriations Committee bill, approved by a vote of 29-to-0, now goes before the full Senate for consideration.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, a Ukrainian soldier died in the Polish occupied zone, thus becoming the multi-national force's first fatality, a spokesman for the Polish defense ministry said Wednesday in Poland's capital of Warsaw.
An armored vehicle had overturned on Tuesday evening in
the al-Kut military base trapping the soldier under it. He died at the scene of the accident. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)