BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip – A remote-controlled bomb tore apart an armored vehicle in a U.S. diplomatic convoy Wednesday, killing three American security guards and wounding a fourth in the first deadly attack on a U.S. target in the Palestinian territories.
The attack, on a convoy of U.S. Embassy diplomats entering Gaza to interview Palestinian candidates for a Fulbright scholarship, was a dramatic departure from typical militant operations, which usually target Israeli soldiers and civilians. It was almost certain to lead to greater U.S. pressure for a Palestinian crackdown on militant groups.
“Palestinian authorities should have acted long ago to fight terror in all its forms,” President Bush said, blaming Palestinian officials for the attack.
Secretary of State Colin Powell told Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia when Qureia telephoned with condolences that the Bush administration could not move forward on establishing a Palestinian state unless violence and terrorism were eliminated.
Qureia promised to track down those responsible, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned the attack as an “awful crime.”
There was no claim of responsibility, and the largest militant groups – Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade – quickly distanced themselves from the attack. Palestinian security sources said they were focusing on small groups who receive funding from abroad, including from Iran.
The attack came four months after a previous assault on a U.S. bulletproof vehicle in Gaza. That attack, which was not publicly revealed until Wednesday, did not cause any injuries, said U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer, providing no other details.
The explosion gouged a deep crater into the unpaved road, nearly tore the vehicle in half and flipped it over. The pavement was stained with blood and littered with bits of flesh that were collected by Palestinian paramedics.
Kurtzer said those killed Wednesday were U.S. citizens working on contracts to provide security for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.
After the bombing, the U.S. government advised its citizens to leave the Gaza Strip. Kurtzer said 200 to 400 Americans, some of Palestinian descent, work in the Gaza Strip, many for aid groups.
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