Bomb Misses U.S. Patrol, Kills Iraqi

[papau]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3186204,00.html
Bomb Misses U.S. Patrol, Kills Iraqi

Wednesday September 24, 2003 2:39 PM By STEVEN R. HURST Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -

A homemade bomb exploded Wednesday along a road in the Iraqi capital, missing a U.S. military patrol but killing at least one Iraqi and injuring 18 others as it destroyed two civilian buses, police and hospital officials said. Also Wednesday, U.S. troops killed four Iraqis in two separate engagements near Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit and seized about 1,000 rounds of ammunition in a raid around the nearby village of Uja, where the ousted Iraqi leader was born. The bombing took place in the Kazimiyah district, a commercial and residential neighborhood of north-central Baghdad. The American vehicles escaped damage but two buses were destroyed, according to Iraqi police Lt. Awas Ibrahim. Hospital officials reported that five of the injured were in critical condition. U.S. troops face a growing threat of attack by roadside bombs, most of them remotely controlled so that attackers can detonate them from a distance as convoys pass. Such devices - many undetonated - are discovered almost daily around this city of 5 million people. The presence of improvised bombs marks a new and dangerous tactic in Iraqi resistance against the U.S. military occupation. U.S. and Iraqi officials blame the resistance on remnants of Saddam's regime, which was toppled by the U.S.-led coalition in April.<snip>

A Gallup poll conducted in recent weeks found that most Baghdad residents believed the ouster of Saddam was worth the hardships they've endured since then. However, the survey also found that Baghdad residents were divided on whether the country is worse off or better off than before the U.S. invasion. The poll found that 62 percent think ousting Saddam was worth the hardships, including electrical outages, job shortages and civil unrest. Two-thirds, 67 percent, said they think that Iraq will be in better condition five years from now than it was before the U.S.-led invasion. Only 8 percent say they think it will be worse off. However, 47 percent said the country is worse off than before the invasion and 33 percent said it is better off. The Gallup poll of 1,178 adults was conducted face to face in the respondents' household from Aug. 28 through Sept. 4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. <snip>