IRAQ: Gunmen attacked envoys of two Muslim states in Baghdad yesterday, three days after Egypt's mission chief was snatched from the street in what appeared to be a new campaign by insurgents to target diplomats in Iraq.
Pakistan immediately withdrew its ambassador from Baghdad after he survived an ambush. Hours earlier, the envoy from the Gulf Arab state of Bahrain was shot in the hand during what his government called a kidnap attempt as he drove to work.
Al-Qaeda's wing in Iraq said it was holding Ihab el-Sherif, the Egyptian chief of mission abducted on Saturday. The group has beheaded foreign captives in the past.
Russia also confirmed that an embassy convoy had been fired on, and a bomb struck private security guards near the Iranian embassy, adding to a picture of insurgents launching a campaign against diplomats in the capital.
"They're trying to send a message to countries not to boost their representation in Iraq," said Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba. "It's a desperate attempt to halt the political process."
Washington urged other countries not to pull out. "It's no secret that Iraq is a dangerous place," US embassy spokesman Adam Hobson said. "But with Iraqi forces on the street getting increasingly better at providing security, and with an elected government working hard to create a democratic and prosperous Iraq, we believe it's important for the international community to show support for the Iraqis by establishing and maintaining a diplomatic presence in the country."
Gunmen in two cars fired on the motorcade of Pakistani ambassador Mohammad Younis Khan. They sped off when his guards returned fire. - (Reuters)