BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Japan put off a decision Thursday on sendingtroops to Iraq, a day after the deadliest attack on coalitionforces since the war, and South Korea capped its contribution at3,000 soldiers -- new setbacks to U.S. hopes for easing thepressure on its forces.
U.S. troops pounded suspected guerrilla targets in the capitalfor a second straight night under a new ''get-tough'' campaignagainst the insurgency. And the top American administrator, L. PaulBremer, headed back to Baghdad after two days of White House talkswith orders that Iraqis should take more responsibility forgoverning.
On the eve of a visit to Tokyo by Defense Secretary Donald H.Rumsfeld, Japan decided the time isn't right to send its forces toIraq, indicating its deployment might be delayed until nextyear.
Japan had hoped to send troops to Iraq to help rebuild thecountry by the end of 2003, but chief Cabinet Secretary YasuoFukuda backed off, saying Iraq is still too unstable.
''Japan has said it wants to think about the timing'' of itsdeployment, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said inWashington. ''We understand that.''
South Korea also decided to limit its contribution to 3,000troops, President Roh Moo-hyun announced. South Korea also orderedits 464 troops in southern Iraq to suspend operations outsidecoalition bases. Denmark also rejected a push by two Danishsoldiers' unions to bolster its 410-member force by 100 moretroops.
Many countries and agencies in Iraq, including Spain, theNetherlands, the United Nations and the international Red Cross,have been reconsidering their presence since they becametargets.
The reassessments came a day after Wednesday's suicide truckbombing at a base for Italian forces in the southern city ofNasiriyah killed at least 32 people -- 18 of them Italians, andwounded more than 80. Officials said several of the wounded are notexpected to survive.
Speaking to reporters Friday en route to Asia, Rumsfeld saidcountries that decide to participate in military operations in Iraqshould do so only if they believe it is in their own interest.
''It's a dangerous country, it's a violent country,'' Rumsfeldsaid. ''It's been a violent country for a long time and it verylikely will be for a long time. Certainly people need toparticipate there with their eyes open.''
Bremer headed back to Baghdad to work with Iraqis on developinga plan to speed up establishment of an Iraqi government.
In Washington, a senior U.S. official said the Bushadministration is proposing elections in the first half of nextyear and formation of a government before a constitution iswritten.
For months, the administration has insisted that Iraqi leaderswrite a constitution and hold elections before power shifts fromU.S. occupiers to Iraqis. But on Thursday, Rice said the IraqiGoverning Council has resisted that American timeline.
''It is still important that the Iraqi people have a permanentconstitution and elections for a permanent government. Nothing haschanged,'' Rice said. ''But what is also important is that we findways to accelerate the transfer of power to the Iraqis -- they areclamoring for it, they are, we believe, ready for it.''
President Bush also expressed resolve to curb the violenceagainst coalition forces.
''We're going to prevail,'' he said. ''We've got a good strategyto deal with these killers.''
For a second straight night Thursday, steady explosions shookBaghdad after sundown, part of a ''Operation Iron Hammer,'' -- aU.S. campaign against insurgents.
American troops also shelled a dye factory on the southernoutskirts of Baghdad in retaliation against rebel attacks oncoalition headquarters.
The plant, which has been idle since the war that deposed SaddamHussein, was rocketed by Apache helicopters on Wednesday evening.U.S. commanders said it had been used by insurgents to storeammunition.
On Thursday, U.S. soldiers with loudspeakers drove through theneighborhood warning occupants to leave before the impendingstrike. Later, at least nine large-caliber shells were fired intothe empty plant, heavily damaging the structure.
The tactical goal was not immediately clear since this sprawlingmetropolis of 5 million people has other sites to launchattacks.
But the effect of retaliatory tactics could have thelong-lasting effect of increasing resentment among Iraqis alreadyupset by the heavy-handed tactics of the U.S. military.
''George Bush said he wants to forge friendship between theIraqi people and America. Is this how he wants build thisfriendship?'' said the plant's owner, Waad Dakhel al-Boulani, as hewatched the shelling. ''The only weapon that they found inside wasa Kalashnikov rifle for the guard.''
Lt. Col. George Krivo, the U.S. Army spokesman in Iraq, saidthat similar operations against the insurgents would intensify andcontinue. ''What you are seeing ... are stepped-up offensiveoperations to push terrorists out of their lairs,'' he said.
The command said troops also launched air and ground operationsagainst a Republican Guard facility used to fire on the coalition.The statement did not identify the facility, but Iraqi civiliansreported heavy firing and other military activity in the westernedge of the capital, which includes Baghdad InternationalAirport.
American troops of the 1st Armored Division also attacked mortarpositions around the city, U.S. officials said. Insurgents haveused mortars to stage recent attacks against the headquarterscompound of the U.S.-led coalition as well as other U.S.facilities.
Strong detonations could be heard in the center of the city. Themilitary confirmed they were part of the U.S. operation.
People also reported a series of explosions late Thursday inFallujah and Khaldiyah, cities west of the capital.
Faced with a worsening security problem, coalition authoritiessaid Thursday they were closing a major bridge over the TigrisRiver which reopened about two weeks ago for the first time sincethe city fell in April. Coalition spokesman Charles Heatly said the14th of July Bridge would be closed indefinitely ''following recentserious events.''
Deputy Interior Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmed Ibrahim said policearrested six people, including four foreigners, in operationsThursday. He refused to identify the nationalities, but apoliceman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they included aSyrian, a Yemeni and an Afghan.
The Nasiriyah attack has raised fears that Iraqi resistancegroups were gradually extending their area of operations to includethe country's mainly Shiite Muslim southern regions which havegenerally been well-disposed toward the U.S.-led coalition. Theinsurgency, which originated in the ''Sunni Triangle'' north andwest of the capital, has spread in recent weeks to the northerncity of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest.
In Tampa, Fla., Gen. John Abizaid said the forces opposing theU.S.-led military coalition in Iraq total no more than 5,000insurgent fighters.
''They're a despicable bunch of thugs that will be defeated,''said Abizaid, who heads the U.S. Central Command.
The largest and most dangerous portion of the opposition forcesconsists of those still loyal to Saddam, he said.
''The goal of the enemy is not to defeat us militarily,''Abizaid said in a news briefing. ''The goal of the enemy is tobreak the will of the United States of America, to make usleave.''
There are 130,000 U.S. forces in Iraq, and more than 22,000coalition forces.
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