Iraq Notebook
Bush makes comparison to Churchill

	SUSAN WALSH / THE AP President Bush speaks yesterday at a Library of Congress exhibit on Winston Churchill.
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"In some ways, our current struggles or challenges are similar to those Churchill knew," Bush said in a speech at a Library of Congress exhibit honoring Britain's famous wartime prime minister. "We are the heirs of the tradition of liberty, defenders of the freedom, the conscience and the dignity of every person."

Bush frequently refers to Churchill as a hero and yesterday he called him "a rallying voice of the Second World War, and a prophet of the Cold War."

"I keep a stern-looking bust of Sir Winston in the Oval Office," Bush said. "He watches my every move."

Militant coalition vows to take over Iraqi cities

RAMADI, Iraq — A coalition of insurgent groups has vowed to take over cities vacated by U.S. troops, and warned of "harsh consequences" for Iraqis who resist, according to pamphlets circulating in this hotbed of anti-American resistance.

The pamphlets, signed by Muhammad's Army and other insurgent groups, began appearing Saturday in Ramadi and nearby Fallujah.

"America is getting ready to withdraw its forces from our country with its tail between its legs... pressured by rockets and explosive devices," the statement said.

The pamphlets, replete with Quranic verses, said Iraqis who did not collaborate with the Americans would be allowed to form city councils once U.S. forces are gone.

The U.S. Army has said it will gradually reduce its presence in Iraqi cities and hand over control to Iraqi security forces. The Army has given a withdrawal plan only for the capital, Baghdad, which it envisages to be virtually free of U.S. troops by May.

Iraqi insurgent group claims two suicide attacks on offices
BAGHDAD, Iraq — An Iraqi insurgent group claimed responsibility yesterday for twin suicide attacks last weekend on the offices of two Kurdish political parties in Irbil, saying they were targeted because of the Kurds' ties to the United States.

"Two of our martyrdom-seeking brothers... broke into two dens of the devils in the city of Irbil in the north of Iraq," said the statement by "Jaish Ansar al-Sunna," or "Army of the Protectors of the Sunna."

Sunna refers to the collective teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.

The statement was posted in Arabic on a Web site that frequently carries statements by Islamic militants. It said the Sunday attacks were launched because the two Kurdish parties "paved the way for the American crusader army."

18,000 South Korean soldiers volunteer for Iraq mission

SEOUL, South Korea — Driven in part by large financial bonuses, about 18,000 South Korean soldiers have volunteered for a mission to help the U.S.-led coalition rebuild Iraq, a military official said today.

South Korea has plans to send as many as 3,000 troops to Iraq as early as April in a mission making South Korea the biggest coalition partner after the United States and Britain.

Parliament must approve the dispatch, but all major parties have said they would support it.

Also...

U.S. troops arrested a relative of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri on Tuesday, and believe he may help in the hunt for the most-senior former regime figure still at large, said Lt. Col. Steven Russell, who led a raid in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. Al-Douri, who was the vice chairman of the Baath Party's Revolutionary Command Council, was a longtime confidant of Saddam. ... A Spanish military adviser who fell into a coma after being seriously wounded in a shootout in Iraq last month died yesterday, the Defense Ministry said. Civil Guard commander Gonzalo Perez Garcia's death brought to 11 the number of Spaniards who have been killed in Iraq since last August.... Documents on Saddam Hussein's attempts to bribe foreign politicians will be kept secret for now because Iraq's Governing Council fears they will spark a worldwide scandal, council member Muwaffaq al-Rubai told Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah.

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