The United States said Monday it believes a recent series of terrorist attacks in Iraq will not bully its allies into changing their minds about sending troops to support U.S.-led rehabilitation efforts in the war-riven nation.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan stated during a news briefing his belief that South Korea and Japan remain committed to dispatching military units to Iraq.

McClellan said the international community recognizes the stakes that are involved and the importance of staying the course and finishing the job in the Gulf state, adding that all the allies share the goal of establishing a free, peaceful and democratic Iraq.

Two South Korean workers were killed and two others wounded in an ambush in Iraq on Sunday, the first Korean casualties since the beginning of the U.S.-led military occupation.

The attack came a day after two Japanese diplomats were shot dead in the country in another insurgent attack.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Monday that Tokyo remains unchanged in its commitment to sending troops to Iraq, despite the recent attack.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher also noted that South Korea and Japan have "restated their commitment to stay the course, and restated their understanding of the larger purpose that is being served by their involvement in Iraq."