20 gunmen carried out raid on Kirkuk hospital, police say

KIRKUK, Iraq — Twenty gunmen raided a hospital early Wednesday in the volatile northern oil city of Kirkuk, killing several police officers and freeing an injured insurgent being held there.

Also Wednesday, the military announced a U.S. soldier was killed Tuesday when his vehicle hit a mine near Habbaniyah. As of Wednesday, at least 2,130 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The attack on the Al-Jumhuriya Hospital in downtown Kirkuk, about 150 miles north of Baghdad, began about 5 a.m. and involved gunmen who arrived in three vehicles, said Salem Jalal, head of hospital security.

"The hospital came under strong attack from 20 armed men. They were wearing police uniforms and holding police badges. The operation was well-planned," Jalal said.

Several attackers infiltrated the hospital and killed the police officers guarding Youssef Ali, who was recovering from injuries suffered about a week ago while planting a roadside bomb, police said.

Ali's father, Mohammed Ali, was one of several men arrested in Kirkuk in November for allegedly plotting to kill one of the judges involved in the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants, police said.

Father and son are part of the same Baathist militant group, the 1920 Revolution Brigade, Kirkuk police said.

The attackers apparently split into several groups, with one group infiltrating the hospital and catching by surprise the officers guarding Youssef Ali's room.

A gunbattle ensued as the gunmen were removing Ali from the hospital, with the insurgents apparently overwhelming the police officers. A third police officer was killed and seven wounded before the insurgents escaped with their colleague. "They used heavy machine-gun fire," said Jalal, the hospital security director. "They broke the handcuffs of the terrorist. We found them later on the ground."

Group extends hostage deadline

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Kidnappers extended a deadline until Saturday in their threat to kill four captive peace activists and posted a video of two of the hostages wearing orange jumpsuits and shackled with chains.

The original deadline set by the group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness was Thursday. Norman Kember, 74, of London, Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Va., and Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, were taken hostage in Baghdad two weeks ago.

They were working for the Christian Peacemaker Teams, an anti-war group, and are among seven Westerners who have been abducted in Iraq since Nov. 25. On Wednesday, his brother in the United States identified one of the captives as Ronald Schulz, 40, an industrial electrician from Alaska.

Admiral to probe planting of stories

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has named a Navy admiral to investigate an "information-operations" program that paid some Iraqi newspapers to publish pro-American articles, defense officials said Wednesday.

News of the program last week sparked complaints from some U.S. lawmakers who said paying Iraqi media to print positive articles could undermine the credibility of the United States at a time Washington is trying to foster democratic institutions, including a free media, in Iraq.

Rear Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, serving in the U.S. military command in Iraq, will conduct a fact-finding investigation that could lead to recommendations on possible punishment, officials said.

Also

Japan extends mission: Japan's ruling party approved a plan today to extend the country's troop deployment in Iraq for a year, moving to prolong its largest military mission since World War II, an official said.

Polish view: Outgoing Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said Wednesday the country should ask for more U.S. aid to modernize its military if it is to keep troops in Iraq. Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski went to Washington this week to discuss the terms under which Poland could keep some of its 1,400 soldiers in Iraq beyond the planned January pullout date.

Additional reports from The Associated Press and Reuters