Bremer says insurgents targeting Iraqis more often; grenade explosion in Kirkuk wounds two

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Attacks on American troops in Iraq have declined in the last two weeks and insurgents are increasingly targeting Iraqis working with the U.S.-led coalition in an effort to intimidate them, the top U.S. civilian and military leaders here said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, another international humanitarian organization announced it was curtailing its operations in Iraq because of the deteriorating security situation.

After sunset Tuesday, large explosions were heard in central Baghdad, followed by sirens and sporadic gunfire from the west bank of the Tigris River. The cause was not immediately known.

Insurgents this month have fired mortars on the U.S. headquarters compound in central Baghdad, known as the "green zone." But there has been no firing in that area since the U.S. military launched "Operation Iron Hammer" to strike at guerrilla hideouts in the city.

Chief administrator L. Paul Bremer said the insurgents' recent attacks on the coalition itself were not having the desired effect, so they were turning to Iraqis who help occupation forces.

"The security situation has changed," Bremer said at a press conference with Gen. John Abizaid, the chief of the U.S. Central Command.

"They have failed to intimidate the coalition," he said. "They have now begun a pattern of trying to intimidate innocent Iraqis. They will not succeed ... If Saddam taught the Iraqis nothing else it was how to endure the depredations of thugs."

Abizaid said that the number of daily attacks on coalition forces were down by about half over the last two weeks. He gave no figures but U.S. officials have said U.S. forces were being attacked on average of 30-35 times a day.

"In the past two weeks, these attacks have gone down, attacks against coalition forces, but unfortunately we find that attacks against Iraqis have increased," Abizaid said. He said the attacks had increased not only in number but in severity.

Abizaid said there were some foreigners fighting with the insurgents but their numbers were small. He said the primary threat facing U.S. and coalition forces came from supporters of ousted leader Saddam Hussein.

"Foreign fighters are coming in, and it is not correct to say that there are floods of foreign fighters coming in or thousands. The number is small," he said.

The "main problem" facing the coalition, he added, is "agents of the former regime."