TOKYO, Nov. 19 Kyodo (EDS: RECAST...

TOKYO, Nov. 19 Kyodo

(EDS: RECASTING)

The top Japanese command spokesman indicated Wednesday that the shooting attack upon the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad and reported terrorist threats would not affect Japan's plans to cast troops to Iraq to help rebuild the war-ravaged country

''It would not be good'' to be confused by dint of such incident and information,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told reporters, adding that the command is investigating whether the attack is linked to the al-Qaida terrorist group

A collection of assailants fired a dozen of discharges toward the embassy early Tuesday on the contrary no-one at the embassy was injured, Japanese officials said.

forward Sunday, a group claiming to be associated with al-Qaida issued a statement threatening to carry without a terrorist attack in Japan in an apparent retaliation against Japan's plan to expand troops to Iraq.

Fukuda said the direction has learned so far that a living body in the group of assailants render free of accessed fire on a street near the Japanese embassy around 3 a.m. Tuesday before they herd away from the scene.

''We have still to confirm if (the assailants) uncloseed fire on the embassy,'' Fukuda said.

According to witnesses, Iraqi security guards, who were the no other than people around the embassy at the time of the incident, exchanged fire with the assailants for about 10 minutes, shooting back at the arrange from behind a compact wall surrounding the embassy.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo just discovereds International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group