U.S. allies mourn their dead; rescue saves 4 hostages

Fifteen people, including a U.S. soldier, died in violence Tuesday.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The United States' allies in Iraq mourned their dead today, a day after six European soldiers died while transporting munitions. Family members brought home the remains of two Japanese journalists killed while covering the occupation.
There was celebration, too -- for the rescue of a Pole and three Italian security guards by U.S. Special Forces. More than 40 people have been kidnapped in Iraq, and the four were the first non-Americans freed by the military.
Meanwhile, Iraqi militants disclosed they had kidnapped seven Turks and threatened to abduct more foreigners working with U.S. forces.
Killed in blast
The munitions explosion Tuesday killed two Poles, three Slovaks and a Latvian in Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad. The deaths were the first fatalities for Slovakian and Latvian forces in Iraq, Polish army spokesman Col. Zdzislaw Gnatowski said in Warsaw.
"This is probably the most tragic event in the history of our presence in Iraq," Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka said. But he said the deaths would not cause Poland to rethink its commitment to Iraq.
Poland has now lost six soldiers in Iraq.
Japanese journalists
In Tokyo, relatives brought home the ashes of free-lance journalists Shinsuke Hashida and Kotaro Ogawa, who were cremated in Buddhist funeral rites Monday at a temple in Bangkok, Thailand. The two had been based in Bangkok.
Hashida, 61, and his nephew, Ogawa, 33, were killed May 27 in an ambush on a road just south of Baghdad. They are believed to have been trapped in a car that exploded after being fired at by unidentified assailants. Their translator also was killed in the attack.
Tuesday was a particularly violent day in Iraq, with separate car bombings in Mosul and Baqouba killing 15 people -- including a U.S. soldier -- and wounding 50. Afterward, attackers fired several mortar rounds at a coalition military base camp in Mosul. Two civilian contract employees were wounded, the U.S. military said.
Hostages rescued
The four Europeans hostages were rescued south of Baghdad, said Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the senior U.S. officer in Iraq, but he gave few details. He also said several suspects were arrested.
The Italian hostages, who were in Iraq as private security guards, were abducted in April. A fourth Italian was slain shortly after the kidnapping.
The Polish hostage works for the Jedynka construction company. He was abducted last week after seven men stormed the company's Baghdad office. Another Polish worker abducted at the same time managed to escape.
Pipeline blown up
Today, saboteurs blew up an important oil pipeline, forcing authorities to cut output on the national power grid by 10 percent, police and Iraqi officials said.
The blast occurred about 9:30 a.m. near Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, said Col. Sarhat Qadir of the Kirkuk police.
Oil Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told Dow Jones Newswires that the attack would not affect exports from the northern oil fields. However, Jihad said the blast cut supplies to the Beiji electric power station, forcing a reduction of 400 megawatts.
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