IRAQ Philippines pulls troops

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The Philippines worked today to meet the demands of kidnappers holding a Filipino truck driver, announcing it was withdrawing the head of its humanitarian mission in Iraq and 10 other troops.
In a new message to the militants holding Angelo dela Cruz, Philippines Foreign Secretary Delia Albert said 11 soldiers were leaving for home today, reducing troop strength to 32. The pullout came despite warnings from the United States and Australia that the Philippines was sending the wrong signal to terrorists.
Al-Jazeera broadcast a video Thursday showing a seemingly healthy dela Cruz no longer wearing the bright orange garment he wore in previous videos -- an apparent sign that he is no longer under threat of death.
Body found
Meanwhile, a decapitated body in an orange jumpsuit was found in the Tigris River in northern Iraq, the military said Thursday. There were suspicions it could be that of a Bulgarian driver taken hostage recently by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist group and slain.
In Baghdad, an explosion targeting a U.S. military convoy ripped through a residential neighborhood, the U.S. military and witnesses said. At least four Iraqi civilians were injured in the blast, said Iraqi Police Maj. Hashem Dawoud. No U.S. soldiers were reported injured.
Also today, attackers using machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades fired on an Iraqi police patrol, killing one and wounding another, police officer Ammar Naji told Associated Press Television News.
The violence came amid warnings by Iraq's Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who said he expects insurgents to strike harder in the coming weeks. Allawi announced the creation of a new intelligence service Thursday designed specifically to combat terrorism.
Talking tough
Allawi's government has talked increasingly tough about tackling the insurgents. It passed emergency laws giving him sweeping powers to combat the violence, and police have conducted sweeps of terror suspects in Baghdad and other cities.
Those actions may have spurred the insurgents to launch a series of attacks in recent days, Allawi said.
"They know that they should not give us a chance to rebuild our capabilities -- security, police and the army. So they want to undermine our efforts," Allawi told The Associated Press on Thursday. They will "hit harder in the weeks ahead, and maybe even months ahead."
Much violence
Scores of people have been killed in suicide bombings, shootings, car bombs and roadside assaults since the transfer of sovereignty from U.S. occupation officials to the interim government June 28. Many of the attacks have targeted U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces. At least 38 U.S. troops have died since the handover.
A car bombing near police and government buildings in the western city of Haditha killed 10 people and wounded 40 Thursday morning. The attack came a day after a similar bombing near the secured area housing the government's offices and the U.S. Embassy killed at least 10 people in Baghdad.
Gunmen opened fire Thursday on a car belonging to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, killing one official and wounding two others, authorities said. Zebari was not in the vehicle at the time.
A day earlier, insurgents ambushed a convoy transporting Nineveh Gov. Osama Youssef Kashmoula, killing him and two of his guards. An Islamic Web site carried a statement purportedly issued by al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad movement, which claimed responsibility for the assassination.
Tawhid and Jihad earlier claimed responsibility for beheading U.S. businessman Nicholas Berg and South Korean translator Kim Sun-il.
Al-Zarqawi's group said Wednesday it had killed a Bulgarian hostage and threatened to kill his colleague. Video broadcast on Al-Jazeera showed one of two Bulgarian hostages, later identified as Georgi Lazov, kneeling before three masked men.
The same day, police discovered a headless body northwest of the city of Beiji and turned the remains over to the U.S. military for identification, officials said.
The Bulgarian government said fingerprints from the body had been sent to Bulgaria for identification.
Appeals to foreigners
Allawi accused the insurgents of trying to push the international community out of Iraq and appealed to foreign governments to stand fast. Iraq's fledgling security forces are deeply dependent on the 160,000-member multinational force -- led by the United States -- for assistance in maintaining order.
"We hope and wish that all civilized countries and the international community, our neighbors and brothers in the Islamic world, close ranks really to fight terrorism, because God forbid any place they gain or they win is a disaster for the world on a global level," Allawi said.
Intelligence service
In a news conference earlier Thursday, Allawi announced the creation of a new intelligence service, the General Security Directorate, which will focus on defeating the insurgency.
The directorate "will annihilate those terrorist groups, God willing," he said.
Allawi provided few details of the plans for the service, but said he would not rely on "elements" of Saddam Hussein's feared intelligence services to create the new agency. However, he left open the door to call on former officials who were not responsible for grievous crimes under Saddam's regime.
Allawi also said an expected amnesty for insurgents would be announced next week. He also reiterated the government's plans to restore the death penalty -- suspended during the U.S. occupation -- to punish militants who continue attacks.
"We need some sanctions that are up to the scale of those crimes," Allawi said in his government's defense.
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