Italy holds state funeral for soldiers killed in Kabul

Thousands packed the streets for a state funeral yesterday in honour of six Italian soldiers killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last week while calls grew for a withdrawal of troops from the country.

Losses from Thursday's attack were the worst suffered by Italians in Afghanistan, reigniting a debate over Rome's peacekeeping mission there and prompting a key government ally to call for all troops to be brought home by Christmas.

"We sent them there and they've returned dead," said Umberto Bossi, head of the Northern League party, a junior ally in the conservative government, as he arrived for the funeral.

Italians braved rain to wave flags and applaud during the funeral procession through Rome, while a few shops shuttered their windows in a sign of respect.

Some openly wept as the coffins blanketed with the Italian flag were brought into St Paul's basilica for the funeral, which was briefly interrupted by a man who grabbed the altar microphone and shouted "Peace Now! Peace Now!".

Government officials including Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and President Giorgio Napolitano attended the Mass, held at the same church that hosted the funeral for 19 Italian soldiers killed in Nassiriya, Iraq in 2003.

Even before last week's attack, one poll showed 58 per cent of Italians wanted the troops home and 40 per cent believed the mission had become "a war operation".

Mr Berlusconi has said Italy plans a "strong reduction" in its total contingent of 3,100 but was not considering a unilateral withdrawal. But he is coming under growing pressure from allies such as Mr Bossi and the centre-left opposition.

"We need to open a debate in Parliament, to discuss this seriously," said Antonio Di Pietro, who heads the opposition Italy of Values party.

"There is war there, not peace. We can't go there and make people think we are giving out candy and chocolate," he said.

The ceremony - shown live on all major television networks - began with a telegram from Pope Benedict expressing his "deep sadness" and included a reading by a wheelchair-bound Italian paratrooper, flanked by the son of one of the dead soldiers.

A flyover by jets spewing red, white and green flag colours paid the final tribute to the soliders, as the sobbing widows of the soldiers left the church accompanied by military staff.

Offices, schools and the Milan stock market observed a minute of silence in remembrance.

Photos of the two-year old son of one dead soldier wearing his father's red beret were splashed across the front page of all major dailies on yesterday, which recounted that the boy said "Ciao papa" to greet the coffins that arrived in Rome on Sunday.