Polish soldier injured in Iraqi attack on checkpoint outside Karbala

The incident happened when a bus driver, ignoring orders from Polish and Iraqi officers, rushed a checkpoint on a road to the Northwest of the city. The soldiers opened fire, yet failed to stop the bus, which, as Bieniek put it, "hit lots of Iraqis and, unfortunately, a Polish soldier," before eventually exploding. Bieniek also stressed that reports made by Associated Press that Polish soldiers had fired upon Iraqi pilgrims were false. Despite requiring surgery, the wounded soldier is not said to be in a life-threatening situation. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1) M.K.