Polish envoy injured in Iraq bomb attack

Poland's ambassador to Iraq was wounded in a triple bomb attack on his convoy in Baghdad yesterday that killed a Polish bodyguard…

Poland's ambassador to Iraq was wounded in a triple bomb attack on his convoy in Baghdad yesterday that killed a Polish bodyguard and an Iraqi passer-by.

"It was an assassination attempt. Our three cars drove onto mines," said a Polish foreign ministry spokesman in Warsaw. "A few people are wounded. Our ambassador, General Edward Pietrzyk scrambled out (of the wreckage) on his own."

Poland, a US ally that has around 1,000 troops stationed in southern Iraq, vowed to maintain its military presence, saying withdrawing forces in response to the attack would be "the worst possible mistake".

A majority of Poles believe the troops should be withdrawn, but Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who faces elections on October 21st, rejected calls for a pullout.