New ambush follows horror deaths in Iraq

Insurgents today ambushed US troops and burned their armoured vehicle in Fallujah, 24 hours after the charred corpses of four American civilians were dragged through the city's streets.

The top US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, said the deaths "would not go unpunished".

He described them as examples of the "ongoing struggle between human dignity and barbarism" and added: "They violate all religions including Islam."

Iraqi Interior Minister Nori al Badran vowed to send forces into Fallujah "to bring killers to justice".

Nine Americans died in the two attacks yesterday and US troops are now reportedly withdrawing from the centre of Fallujah.

In shocking scenes a mob of Iraqis ambushed and burned two civilian vehicles, killing four volunteers who were providing security for food deliveries.

Adults and children beat the blackened corpses with metal poles before dismembering them and hanging two bodies from a bridge spanning the Euphrates.

The White House blamed terrorists and remnants of Saddam Hussein's former regime for the attacks. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said: "It is despicable." But he was defiant. "The best way to honour those who lost their lives is to continue to bring democracy to Iraq," he said.

The city, 35 miles from Baghdad, is in an area of strong support for Saddam. Today, a handful of Iraqi police manned road checkpoints95. There was no sign of US troops.