On his first trip here since the April 9 ouster of Saddam Hussein by the US-British coalition, Straw visited British troops in the southern port city of Basra before meeting US overseer Paul Bremer in Baghdad.

"This action against the coalition won't succeed and will be dealt with," said Straw, adding that the coalition was determined to catch assailants behind spiralling attacks that have left at least 22 US soldiers and six British military policemen killed since Washington declared the war over on May 1.

"I can say the military commanders in Basra are determined to see this happen," Straw told a press conference after his meeting with Bremer, referring to the capture of the assailants.

"I gave a personal undertaking to some of the comrades of the ex-military policemen who had fallen to do just that," he added, referring to his meeting with the commander of British troops in Basra, Major General Peter Wall.

Straw had earlier told the BCC "the terrorists, the remnants of the Baathists in Fallujah (west of Baghdad), on the ground, are making a terrible mistake if they think that we're going to run away from this.

"That's not the way the British forces operate, nor I may say the way the American forces operate," he warned.

Straw also told the press conference the coalition was working toward allowing the Iraqi people to assume responsibility for ruling their own country by themselves -- a demand by Iraqis from across the political spectrum.

"I think we will see the beginnings of this process in the not too distant future ... The quicker we can get established Iraqi institutions, the better," he said.

"The important thing is that you begin the process and, however slow it may be, there is a dynamic and the people themselves start to assume responsibility for their country," he said.

The BBC said that after landing at Baghdad airport Straw was flown by US military helicopter to the centre of the city to avoid the dangerous airport road, where several ambushes of US convoys have occurred.

Earlier Wednesday, another US soldier was announced dead in action "from his wounds from an attack by an improvised explosive device that happened on July 1," Corporal Todd Pruden told AFP.

Pruden said five other US soldiers had been wounded in attacks on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a US Marine was killed and three three injured in an explosion as they were clearing a minefield near Karbala, Iraq, US Central Command said. An Iraqi technician also was injured.

Under a growing wave of attacks, coalition forces were pursuing Operation Desert Sidewinder, which was launched Sunday in the hope of wiping out Fedayeen militia fighters and other diehards from the ousted Baath regime.

US Central Command said Wednesday the 4th Infantry Division had conducted five raids in support of Operation Sidewinder resulting in three detained individuals.

"Confiscated weapons include 28 hand grenades, three AK-47s, five mortar fuses, and one crate of rocket-propelled grenades," a statement said.

"Operation Sidewinder has detained 20 high-value targeted individuals so far. These individuals consist of former Baath Party leaders and members, former Fedayeen leaders and a former Iraqi military intelligence officer," it added.

Earlier Wednesday, the US military denied in a statement responsibility for a blast at a Fallujah mosque this week in which seven people were killed.

"An investigation conducted by coalition forces and Fallujah police into the explosion at the Al-Hassan mosque ... (showed) the explosion was apparently related to a bomb-manufacturing class that was being taught inside the mosque."

Locals were vowing to avenge the killings of six theology students and the mosque imam from what they said was a US airstrike on the mosque.

More than two months after the United States declared the war in Iraq effectively over, Bremer said Tuesday reconstruction was "on target," despite the slow return of basic services.

The coalition has spent nearly one billion dollars in the past six weeks on thousands of projects in Iraq, he said, although Iraqis have not hidden their anger at the slow pace of restoring water and power supplies.

A group of prominent US senators warned Tuesday after meeting with Bremer in Baghdad that the war in Iraq was not over yet and the American public must know US troops have a long struggle ahead of them.

The lawmakers said the coalition, the bulk of which is made up of some 150,000 US and 11,000 British troops, acknowledged the troops were facing risks as a result of armed resistance from diehard Saddam loyalists.

US President George W. Bush for his part vowed Wednesday that strikes on US-led forces in Iraq would not lead Washington to "leave prematurely," defiantly challenging any foes to attack US troops.

"There are some who feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring'em on!," he said. "We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation."

Taking questions after a White House event, Bush said he would welcome any offers from other nations to contribute troops to the beleaguered US effort to build a prosperous and democratic Iraq.

WAR.WIRE