January 7, 2006	Saturday	Zilhaj 6, 1426

BAGHDAD, Jan 6: Mortar fire rattled a ceremony marking Iraq’s army day on Friday following one of the country’s bloodiest days since the fall of Saddam as British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw arrived on a surprise visit.

More than 115 Iraqis were killed on Thursday, a day which also saw the death of 11 US servicemen, the highest one-day US toll since August.

The overall death toll — the highest single-day tally since mid-September —- highlighted the enormous task faced by Iraq to take on full responsibility for its security.

Only then will US-led forces be able to fully withdraw.

Hoping to better assess the situation on the ground following a landmark election last month, Straw made an unannounced trip to the southern city of Basra, where British troops are based.

Straw, who had been in Beirut on a Middle East tour, wanted to assess the situation on the ground after the December 15 parliamentary elections, which remain dogged by complaints of fraud, a British embassy spokesman said.

Highlighting the ongoing violence, one police commando was killed and three injured in a suicide car bomb attack against a police checkpoint in the southern Baghdad neighbourhood of Zafaraniya, the interior ministry said.

Police were also targeted in another suicide car bombing in the northern city of Mosul. The bomber blew up his vehicle next to a police patrol, wounding 11 people including four policemen, police said.

Some 10 unidentified bodies, all shot to death, were also discovered in the Iraqi capital.

Politicians condemned a recent spike in unrest as a bid to raise sectarian tensions and impede the creation of a unity government.

Anxious to demonstrate progress on the security front, hundreds of Iraqi troops paraded in front of senior Iraqi and US officials inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone.

But the annual ceremony, marking the 85th anniversary of the military’s creation, was a fraction of its previous size under Saddam Hussein.

The toppled dictator used to sit with a rifle on his lap, firing off rounds, as thousands of troops, tanks, helicopters and fighter jets took part in a three to four hour-long parade.

This time, there were only two old Russian tanks on display as well as some US-made Humvees and military trucks, while Iraq’s current president and prime minister both chose to stay away.

Saddam’s theatrical gunshots were replaced by real mortar fire.

One mortar round, fired by rebels, even struck about a hundred metres (yards) away but did not explode, said an AFP correspondent at the scene.

Abdul Aziz Mohamed, official spokesman for the joint operations room at the defence ministry, had been talking to reporters at the time and ducked as the round flew overhead.

The army is being trained by the US-led coalition to take over the fight against insurgents, enabling the 160,000 foreign forces to draw down.

Washington and London have indicated they hope to start this politically-charged process later this year.

Despite progress in building up Iraq’s security forces, attacks continue.

The US military suffered its worst day since last August on Thursday, losing 11 soldiers in five separate attacks around the country — two roadside bombs, a suicide bombing and two separate shootings.

The latest casualties took the death toll for US soldiers in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003 to at least 2,192, according to an AFP toll based on figures from the Pentagon.

Politicians warned that the unrest must not derail the political process as the country awaits the results of the December election to form a permanent parliament — the first since the end of Saddam’s regime.

“We have to continue working,” said Shiite Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

But the Iraqi National List, a party set up by former prime minister Iyad Allawi, blamed the government for the increase in violence, saying its policy of “sectarian polarization” was dividing the country.

“The government has weakened state security institutions by politicizing them and by strengthening the role of militias,” the party said in a statement.

US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair want Iraq to form a new government as quickly as possible.

They believe this would improve security and stability and enable them to start withdrawing troops later this year. —AFP