Iraqi militants put allies on the defensive

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Iraqi militants have seized Korean, Japanese and Arab-Israeli civilians in the past two days, introducing an ominous new tactic designed to test the will of U.S. coalition partners who never expected to have to fight. The seven seized Koreans subsequently were released.

Japan said it had no plans to withdraw its 530 troops from the southern city of Samawa, despite a chilling threat from the insurgents that the three Japanese will be burned alive if Tokyo keeps its forces in Iraq.

For most of the past year, the 26,500 troops from the 40 "coalition of the willing" nations have faced few dangers beyond homesickness, fatigue, sunburn and sand fleas.

Most were in out-of-the-way deployments far from the centers of conflict, working on humanitarian and reconstruction missions. In at least one case, they were not even authorized to fight.

But this week's uprising has put many foreign units squarely in the line of fire and is testing the resolve of their home governments.

Since Spain pledged to remove its troops after last month's Madrid bombings brought about a change in government, more administrations are under domestic pressure to bring their troops home:

• Bulgaria's 450 troops are forbidden to engage in combat, and Sofia has asked for U.S. help in protecting its forces in the city of Karbala. But the government "firmly asserts" that it plans to remain in Iraq.

• Kazakhstan's defense minister has proposed pulling his nation's 27 soldiers out of Iraq when their deployment is finished this summer.

"It is a proposal. No decision has been made. We expect an official position to be known shortly," said Roman Vassilenko, spokesman for the Kazakh Embassy in Washington yesterday.

"I can say until now the government's position has been we are firmly committed. We intend to stay the course. So far, this is just a proposal."