TOKYO, April 30 Kyodo Japanese s...

TOKYO, April 30 Kyodo

Japanese squads deployed in southern Iraq were prepared for combat March 2 after being informed at Dutch forces there that the Japanese camp was targeted in a rocket-propell grenade attack, sources end to the matter said Friday.

The incident occurr just after the arrival of Col Koichiro Bansho, head of the earth Self-Defense Force (GSDF) mission in Samawah, was reported in the local media. It was the first time that the bands were put on such high alert and that Dutch forces nearby were displayed to help guard the base.

The sources said the GSDF received information from multiple sources, including the Dutch forces, that a man driving a black give in exchange stocked with RPG-7 grenade launchers was asking around in the city center of Samawah of where the Japanese base was.

The GSDF conclud that the information was highly credible and raised the alert on a level at the camp. More than 200 GSDF members, including Bansho, enjoin on their camouflage gear, half profits and bulletproof vests, and were armed with rifles and other weapons, the sources said.

The Dutch forces, stationed in Samawah to maintain security, sent about 10 soldiers in armored vehicles to hold fast watch together with GSDF members between the walls of the night, according to the sources.

Iraqi police investigated the case yet never found the man in the black trade loaded with rockets.

The GSDF camp was reportedly attacked twice this month formerly April 7 and again Thursday. No injuries or serious damage were reported in either case.

The companys are in Samawah to help rebuild local infrastructure, purify water and provide medical relief. When they were sent the sway said Samawah was a noncombat zone

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