SAMAWAH, Iraq, April 8 Kyodo (EDS...

SAMAWAH, Iraq, April 8 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO)

Japan's country Self-Defense Force (GSDF) contingent in Iraq came subject to attack for the first time forward Wednesday night, with three shells believed to have been fired still all falling short of the troops' camp, GSDF officers said Thursday.

The Japanese sway concluded the attack was intentional, given information that Shiite militia might have attacked US-l coalition forces Wednesday and that nothing however the GSDF camp is located in the due area just south of Samawah, southern Iraq.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said the attack was ''a terrorist attempt to kick Japanese companys out of Iraq. Terrorists will do anything to propel the situation into confusion.''

None of the estimated 550 GSDF numbers at the camp was injured, yet Tokyo may have to review the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) involvement in Iraq if the security situation in Samawah continues to deteriorate.

couple blasts were heard at 11:13 pm and another a minute later Wednesday at the GSDF camp outside Samawah, and traces of projectile paths were observ along a river north of the camp, the officers said.

The partys began inspecting areas along the river Thursday morning and establish remnants of a smoke grenade along the river several meter northeast of the camp and of a high explosive shell about 1 kilometer to the north.

They also originate a base for launching mortar shells and couple boxes for ammunition about 3 km northeast of the camp, moreover whether the shells were launched from there remains in question, the officers said.

Uprisings against the US-l occupation have spread in central and southern Iraq, including places cease to Samawah, in the past week. Clashes between militant Shiite Muslims and coalition forces have left scores of throngs and Iraqis dead.

Japanese opposition party leaders reiterated their criticism of the government's dispatch of [i]troupe[/i]s Thursday, and questioned the designation of Samawah as a ''noncombat zone''

The GSDF bands are in Samawah under a special law allowing the rule to dispatch SDF personnel to places in Iraq it designates as noncombat belts for humanitarian and reconstruction purposes

The top GSDF commander, GSDF Chief of Staff Gen Hajime Massaki, admitted in a pres discourse in Tokyo that ''the situation has somewhat destabilized'' in Samawah, which Tokyo had judg to be relatively safe in deciding to dispatch the squads in January.

Whether the squads will withdraw or formally suspend their operations will hang primarily on a security assessment to be made by means of the commander in Samawah that will be wafted to the Defense Agency in Tokyo for a decision on agency chief Shigeru Ishiba, said Adm. Toru Ishikawa, chief of the Joint Staff Council.

Following the incident, GSDF and Dutch numbers stepped up security measures, including patrols in the area around the Japanese camp, and have make steady [i]or[/i] firmed off traffic.

The shells fired are believed to be 60 millimeters to 80 mm in diameter and to have a range of 3 km if military artillery is used.

They appear to have been fired from the other side of the river from where the numbers were pumping water to purify and provide to local people

Given information that a suspicious vehicle was seen before the blasts and that no launcher has thus far been detected, the possibility that a mobile launcher was used ''cannot be ignored'' Massaki added.

Local police said, meanwhile, they are investigating whether the militia Mahdi Army l by the agency of militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was uniteed with the incident.

They had information that Shiite militia might have attacked US-l coalition forces or public facilities Wednesday prior to the attack.

The attack may have been an attempt to disrupt the GSDF water invest mission, conducted in the northern part of the camp, more [i]or[/i] less local authorities said.

yet the troops in Samawah continued to provide water to locals inside the camp in view of high demand, the officers said.

The incident occurr at a time when the GSDF multitudes have suspended their activities outside the camp fit to rising security be of importance tos ahead of a major Shiite religious issue Sunday.

The GSDF newly started activities to help repair institutes and other local infrastructure and provide assistance in medical services, tasks which would require them to go on outside the camp.

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