PENTAGON chiefs are drawing up emergency plans for more troops and money in Iraq as the US-led coalition continues to splinter in the face of insurgent violence.

Poland sent mixed signals about its troop commitment yesterday after the Dominican Republic followed Spain and Honduras in announcing that it would withdraw its troops from the country.

The surge in violence has come at a political cost to the Bush administration, with hawkish Republicans calling for the head of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

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WASHINGTON - Fearing that terrorists might target Congress, the House on Thursday approved a bill to set up speedy special elections if 100 or more of its members are killed.
The House, in a 306-97 vote, put aside for now the larger issue of whether the Constitution should be amended to allow for temporary appointments in the event that an attack caused mass fatalities among lawmakers.

The measure would require special elections within 45 days of the House speaker confirming that a catastrophic event had left at last 100 of the 435 seats vacant.

Several warned of a martial law condition, with the executive branch taking over legislative authorities such as declaring war during the 45 days that Congress is unable to function

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Poland, one of America's cornerstone allies, whose 2,500 troops lead the multinational command south of Baghdad, also sent conflicting signs about its commitment to keep troops in Iraq. Prime Minister Leszek Miller, who is stepping down next month, told the Polish news agency PAP on Wednesday that Poland could not "turn a blind eye to the fact that Spain and others are leaving Iraq."
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Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., on Wednesday raised the possibility that compulsory military service might be necessary. The nation is engaged "in a generational war here against terrorism," Hagel said. "It's going to require resources."

"Should we continue to burden the middle class who represents most all of our soldiers, and the lower-middle class?" Hagel said. "Should we burden them with the fighting and the dying if in fact this is a generational ? probably 25-year ? war?"

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Mr Hopper said ASIO allegedly saw his client dumping photographs of targeted sites in a bin but did not bother to see any alleged accomplice collect the "dead drop". The investigation was "botched".

Meanwhile, the Government is taking seriously a claim that Australia is on a hit list of countries threatened with a major terrorist attack this month. The warning was received by the South Korean embassy in Bangkok in a letter threatening attacks against Asian countries and their allies supporting the US-led war on terror.