The attacks demonstrated once again how Iraqi guerrillas, believed to be small in number, have managed to sustain an initiative against the American forces and their allies.

At the time of the attack the town was held by Iranian troops and Iraqi Kurdish guerrillas allied with Tehran.

The soldier, who was not identified, was attacked two days after American troops and Iraqi guerrillas engaged in an intense firefight inside Samarra.

Iraqi guerrillas opposed to the American occupation have made hit-and-run mortar strikes one of their primary methods of attacks.

For most attacks, the Iraqi guerrillas operate in small teams of five to ten men in order to maintain mobility and escape detection.

American officials have long accused foreign fighters like Mr. Zarqawi of pushing the insurgency to more extreme measures than those preferred by Iraqi nationalist guerrillas.

It dishes out the same old sauerkraut - conjuring up images of Al Qaeda by calling Iraqi guerrillas and foreign fighters "terrorists."

In recent months, evidence has surfaced that Iraqi guerrillas resent the dominance of foreigners in the insurgency.

The Iraqi guerrillas, like the Vietcong, realize that a conventional military victory is beyond their grasp.

Protection for the unit was provided primarily by Australian troops, as the Japanese soldiers were prohibited from engaging Iraqi guerrillas unless they came under fire.