Columbia's loss ''Allah's revenge,'' says Iraq
Japan Today
Sunday, February 2, 2003 at 08:00 JST
 http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=8&id=248030

BAGHDAD — Officials at Iraq's Information Ministry on Saturday showed an icy attitude toward the midair disintegration of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia, with one of them describing it as "Allah's revenge."

With a possible U.S.-led war looming over Iraq, the Information Ministry was teaming with foreign reporters when news of the Columbia's disaster was reported on the U.S. CNN network.

A few Iraqi officials were watching the TV program, and words soon spread that Illan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut and one of the seven Columbia crew members, was an Israeli officer who took part it the bombing of an Iraqi nuclear power plant in 1981.

"It was the Allah's revenge," one government employee said when asked for comment.

Iraq's official media have not reported the Columbia loss as of late Saturday. (Kyodo News)

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