US forces killed 11 gunmen on Friday — the American Independence Day — when they attempted to ambush a military patrol near the town of Balad northwest of Baghdad, a day after a mortar attack in the area left 16 US soldiers wounded. The latest US casualty was a soldier guarding the National Museum in Baghdad, shot dead by a sniper on Thursday evening. Another was wounded in a blast in the Iraqi capital on Friday. News of the attacks cast a sombre shadow over July 4 celebrations for US troops and civilian administrators in Iraq. Hostile fire has killed 26 American soldiers in Iraq since President George W. Bush declared major combat over on May 1. In the Fourth of July celebrations in the US on Friday, Bush said America is still at war and vowed to attack any ‘‘terrorist group or outlaw regime’’ that threatens America with mass murder. ‘‘The US will not stand by and wait for another attack or trust in the restraint and good intentions of evil men,’’ Bush said. ‘‘We are on the offensive against terrorists and all who support them. We will act, whenever it is necessary, to protect the lives and the liberty of the American people,’’ he said. ‘‘Our nation is still at war. The enemies of America plot against us. And many of our fellow citizens are still serving and sacrificing and facing danger in distant places,’’ Bush said. Meanwhile, Japan’s lower house of Parliament approved a Bill on Friday to send ground troops to help reconstruction efforts in Iraq in what would be Tokyo’s highest-profile role yet in international peacekeeping. Under the Bill, Japanese troops would serve in a non-combat role, transporting supplies and ammunition. In a badly needed distraction from the violence, action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger visited US soldiers celebrating Independence Day. ‘‘First of all congratulations for saying ‘hasta la vista baby’ to Saddam Hussein. I came here from the US because I wanted to pump you all up,’’ he said to cheers from soldiers in sand-coloured camouflage uniforms.
