TEN Hungarian troops serving in Iraq have been injured in a suicide car-bomb attack in the town of Hilla, 90km south of Baghdad. These are the first Hungarian casualties since Parliament first sent troops in to assist in the coalition operation to run the country after Saddam Hussein was ousted. The attack happened in the early hours of Wednesday, February 18. According to the latest reports, the blast killed 11 Iraqi civilians, wounded 44 more and injured 58 foreign troops - including the 10 Hungarians. The injuries to the Hungarian soldiers varied from minor to serious. However, Petér Matyuc at the Defense Ministry (HM) said that the wounds of the three seriously injured soldiers were not life-threatening.
Matyuc commented that the soldiers were hit by shrapnel when one of the vehicles exploded near the building in which they were housed. Lt Col Robert Strzelecki, a spokesman for the Polish-led contingent at Hilla, said that the attack comprised of two vehicles. Sentries opened fire and managed to stop one of the vehicles but a second car exploded after smashing into a wall. "At 7.15 local time there was a terrorist attack near the logistics base using two cars," Strzelecki said. "We found the bodies of the two drivers." The Coalition Provisional Authority confirmed that civilian Iraqi men, women and children were killed in the blast. At least 12 Filipinos, 12 Poles and two Americans were also injured "Despite the attack, Hungarian troops will stay on and complete their mission in Iraq," Matyuc said. The attack on the Hilla base has sparked off more political debate in Parliament. Fidesz deputy chairman István Simicskó has asked the government what must be done before the soldiers are brought home. Defense Ministry political state secretary Imre Iváncsik said that the attack was presumably carried out by members of al-Qaeda. He added that the troops would be brought home when they had completed their task. |