Iraq Notebook
Mortars hit U.S. base; two troops die

	CHRIS HONDROS / GETTY IMAGES Iraqi Catholics pray at Mass on Christmas Day in Baghdad. Security fears kept Iraqis from midnight Mass.
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The insurgents fired mortars that hit the base around 6:15 p.m. yesterday, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle of the 4th Infantry Division.

Two soldiers were evacuated for medical care but died of their wounds, she said.

The four others did not have life-threatening injuries.

Baqouba is 30 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Saddam due a fair trial, survey finds

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Most Iraqis consider former President Saddam Hussein a criminal for gassing his own people and attacking neighboring countries, yet they still believe he deserves a fair trial before Iraqi judges, according to poll results released yesterday in Baghdad.

More than half the respondents said Saddam's execution was the preferred outcome of any court proceeding.

The survey of 1,000 Iraqis in eight cities across the country, conducted by an independent Iraqi research group, was the first scientific study of how residents feel about Saddam's capture by U.S. forces Dec. 13. Though nearly 60 percent of Iraqis said they were "delighted" at the arrest, the event ranked third — behind security and fuel — as their most-important concern.

The survey process was a case study of the violence and fear that plague the country. Citing personal-safety concerns, interviewers did not poll residents of Saddam's hometown, Tikrit.

Poll organizers said at least two interviewers were beaten for asking questions in Ramadi and Mosul, northern cities that retain strong support for the deposed dictator.

And 50 people refused to answer any questions, fearing that Saddam would return and punish them, said Sadoun Al-Dulame, director of the Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies, the polling agency.

Japanese military unit departs for humanitarian Iraq mission

TOKYO — Japan's first military unit left today for a humanitarian mission to Iraq, organizing the country's biggest overseas deployment since World War II, a media report said.

The advance air force contingent of more than 40 personnel was expected to split up and take commercial flights from Tokyo international airport.

The air-force units will assess security and make arrangements for a larger 276 member air-force contingent charged with shipping medical and food supplies from Kuwait to Iraq. In addition, more than 500 Japanese ground troops will be deployed in southern Iraq in February and March.

The deployment has raised opposition in Japan, where many are wary of casualties in Iraq and terror attacks at home. But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's government has stressed Japan's responsibility to help U.S.-led coalition forces restore stability to Iraq.

Japan plans to send about 1,000 personnel, including land, air and sea forces, on the humanitarian mission. Most will be based in southeastern Iraq, where they will help restore water services, offer medical aid and rebuild schools and other infrastructure.

The deployment will be a milestone for Japan's military, which is strictly limited by the country's pacifist constitution.

A special law allowing the dispatch for humanitarian missions in Iraq was passed by Parliament in July, but only under the condition that the troops be sent to stable areas away from combat.

Midnight Mass skipped in favor of daytime worship

BAGHDAD — Hundreds of Iraqis attended Mass in Baghdad on Christmas Day, too alarmed by the collapse of security since the war to celebrate a Mass at midnight.

At the Virgin Mary Church in Baghdad's Karrada district, worshippers feared churches were no safer from violence gripping the capital than anywhere else.

"Even if it is our Christmas celebration today, we don't feel safe because all churches are under threat," said Hala Yousif, a 32-year-old secretary.

"After the fall of Saddam's regime we thought the situation would be better, but now security is much worse."

Iraq's ancient Christian communities are thought to number about 1 million out of a population of 26 million people.

The majority are Assyrian Catholics, also known as Chaldeans.

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