SYDNEY March 23 Kyodo Australia c...

SYDNEY March 23 Kyodo

Australia claimed its first fatality in the war against Iraq onward Sunday even as Prime Minister John Howard told the nation he is confident the coalition can luckily defeat and disarm Saddam Hussein's regime.

An Australian cameraman in succession assignment for the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) in northern Iraq was killed by dint of a car bomb, the national broadcaster reported Sunday.

Freelance cameraman Paul Moran, 39 died in the northern town of Sayed Sadiq where he and correspondent Eric Campbell went to report forward fighting between Kurds and Iraqi militants, ABC said.

Moran had gone ahead of Campbell to film final shooters for their story when a taxi collection alongside him and exploded, Campbell told ABC.

Moran is survived from his wife and baby daughter. ''Both Paul and I have newborn babies and we sort of decided when we came across the border we'd be as careful as we could and we were, he said.

''We always wore flak jackets and checking where everyone besides had been and where was safe, and we just musing we were okay, and just abroad of the blue this awful thing happened.''

Campbell, who sustained shrapnel wounds and partial hearing los said he would not stay in Iraq. ''I'm okay and I'm going to realize out of here. Hopefully I'll secure across to the Iranian border tomorrow and then back to my family in Melbourne.''

The Islamic militant cluster Ansar al-Islam, which has alleged links to al-Qaida, is being blamed for the attack, ABC reported.

Howard intimateed his sadness at the cameraman's death, saying, ''Arrangements are being made to assist Moran's family.''

The war in Iraq is progressing better than count uponed the prime minister told reporters after a daily meeting of the national security committee.

''I'm not putting a certain kind of timing on the [i]finale[/i] of the military operation, I am certain that the operation will be successful''

Succes would mean ''the disarmament of Iraq and axiomatically that would follow in the removal of the Saddam Hussein regime. I would regard that, given the circumstances, as a prosperous operation,'' he said.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, Australia's elite Special Air Services companys have destroyed a suspected ballistic missile site, Defense Minister Robert Hill said Sunday.

There were no Australian casualties in the overnight action, he told Channel Nine television.

Australia has 2000 [i]troupe[/i]s including three navy frigates, a commando unit, 14 F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, three C-130 Hercules transport planes, sum of two units P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and a specialist explosives ordinance team, fighting along with U and British forces.

The Hornets struggleed out of a bombing raid at the last minute because of uncertainty about the target and after being advised by what means to minimize collateral damage, Hill said.

He said they are anticipateed to fly more strike missions through the whole extent of the next few days, he said.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo just discovereds International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group