Iraqi resistance fighters opened fire on an occupation patrol during an overnight search for roadside bombs in Baghdad, killing one soldier, a U.S. spokesman said Sunday, according to Reuters.
The spokesman added the killed soldier was not an American.
In the meantime, Iraqi leaders prepared to finalize a basic law covering Iraq's immediate future after missing a US-agreed deadline.
The interim Governing Council worked through Saturday night in an attempt to overcome ethnic and religious fault lines on the road to a "democratic Iraq", but decided they would not sign the text into law before Wednesday.
"They have decided that it would be inappropriate to hold a signing ceremony before the end of Ashura," a senior US official said, referring to the Shiite religious holiday marking the 7th century death of the revered Imam Hussein.
"There was real reluctance in the message it would send to the Iraqi community if they held a big signing ceremony before the end of Ashura, that was what they were saying last night but I don't know if that might change."
The occupation official said there were no guarantees, but he remained optimistic an agreement would be reached Sunday, ahead of a formal signing. "I think we will be able to finish the document today," he told reporters. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
