My Morning Wake Up Call

Another mortar attack on the IZ this morning woke me up at 0610. These attacks happen frequently enought that after hearing the three impacts, I rolled over to try and catch another hour of sleep. But for some inexplicable reason the "duck and cover" siren went off . . . 20 minutes later. Like it or not, my day had started.

Unfortunately, the bad guys got lucky today and for once actually hit something.

Four Australian soldiers injured in Baghdad rocket attack

AFP

Date: 14 August 2006


SYDNEY - Four Australian soldiers were injured Monday in a rocket attack in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the military chief said.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, head of the Australian Defence Force, said the troops were injured Monday morning when the rocket was fired into the fortified international zone.

Three male soldiers had already been discharged from hospital while a female soldier remained in hospital in stable condition, he added.

"She has got injuries consistent with a blast and lacerations to the head, internal injuries, bruising and obviously some shrapnel injuries as well,"
Houston added.

Australia contributed 2,000 troops to the US-led invasion which ousted Saddam Hussein in early 2003 and still has about 900 troops in the country.

Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, a staunch ally of US President George W. Bush, has given no timeline for the withdrawal of Australian troops despite public opposition at home to their presence in Iraq.