Naseer Al-Nahr, Asharq Al-Awsat

BAGHDAD, 2 November 2003 — A roadside bomb killed two US soldiers in the northern city of Mosul yesterday and parents kept their children away from classes in Baghdad after leaflets warned of a “Day of Resistance” against the US occupation.

Insurgents were active, attacking a US convoy near Heet, 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Baghdad, according to witnesses. They said one man held up part of the wreckage from one vehicle and shouted “with our blood and souls, we sacrifice for you, Saddam.” US military spokesmen had no confirmation of the attack.

Other witnesses said an oil pipeline was on fire about 15 km (10 miles) north of Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit, an area of widespread opposition to the occupation. Witnesses said they suspected sabotage because the blaze was preceded by an explosion.

Sabotage to pipelines and the decayed state of Iraq’s infrastructure have slowed efforts to revive the country’s giant oil industry, considered the key to rebuilding this nation’s economy.

The US military said two US soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were killed and two wounded in the roadside bombing in Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city, which Iraqi police initially reported as a land mine. Identities were withheld pending notification of relatives.

Iraqi police Lt. Walid Hashim said the men were inside two civilian cars when the blast occurred. He rushed to the scene and saw that the drivers were dead while the two passengers were both badly injured.

“I tried to pull one of the dead out but his leg was going to come off. They were cut all over by shrapnel (and) one was wounded in the abdomen and was moaning,” Hashim said.

The two deaths would bring to 122 the number of American soldiers killed by hostile fire since President Bush declared an end to hostile combat on May 1 when added to the total given by the Department of Defense on Friday. A total of 114 US soldiers were killed between the start of the war March 20 and the end of April.

Rumors swept Baghdad that bombings or other resistance action would strike the capital. A leaflet attributed to Saddam’s ousted Baath Party declared Saturday a “Day of Resistance,” and called for a three-day general strike.

Rumors were rife in major cities that guerrillas planned a series of bombings this weekend. US troops and Iraqi police patrolled the streets, checking vehicles and questioning passengers.

“My family wouldn’t allow my two sisters to go to school today because of the threats. Even my friends at university and college are staying at home,” said Luay Adeeb, 19, a cigarette vendor in a Baghdad commercial district. “To be honest, I’m scared, but I have to work.”

The coalition’s chief administrator L. Paul Bremer said the insurgents had failed to mount an effective general strike. “My understanding is there was a drop-off in schools but there was no general strike,” Bremer told reporters. “Business was active and usual.” Bremer said he believed Saddam Hussein was still alive and in the country although it was unclear whether he was planning the attacks.

He said that by September of next year more than 200,000 Iraqis will be involved in the defense of the country. “This is after all their country,” Bremer said. “It is their future.”