Iraq attacks kill 3 Marines, 36 others
A suicide bombing in Anbar province raises questions about whether U.S. forces should transfer security control there to the Iraqis as scheduled.
BAGHDAD — Nearly 40 people were killed and about 100 injured Thursday in a suicide attack at a town meeting in Anbar province and a coordinated rocket attack and bombing in the northern city of Mosul. The dead included three U.S. Marines.
The mayor and the tribal chief in the Anbar town of Karmah were killed along with the Marines and 16 other people when a bomber blew himself up during a meeting of sheiks and city leaders. Twenty people were injured.
The blast followed two other attacks this week on government buildings where U.S. forces were meeting with local officials in an effort to restore public services and establish democratic processes. It occurred only days before the U.S. military planned to hand over responsibility for security in the western province to the Iraqis, raising questions about whether to delay that move. The U.S. military said two interpreters were among those killed in Karmah. It gave no further details. The Marines' deaths brought to 4,113 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the war began in March 2003, according to the independent website icasualties.org.
The 29 U.S. deaths so far this month represent a sharp increase from the 19 for all of May, which was the lowest monthly total since the U.S.-led invasion.
The military said the attack in Karmah, about 25 miles west of Baghdad, bore the hallmarks of Al Qaeda in Iraq, which had dominated Anbar province until tribal leaders banded together in late 2006 to fight the militant group.
The breach of security Thursday by a bomber wearing a police uniform convinced some local leaders that the transfer of authority in Anbar would be premature.
The head of the Sons of Iraq groups that helped the Marines turn the tide against the insurgency in Fallouja, one of the province's major cities, said he recommended a six-month postponement.
"We are still not efficient in Anbar," Ifan Sadoon Ifan said. "They couldn't secure a building with 800 square meters, so how are they expected to protect Anbar?"
In a statement, the Marines said that the bombing would not affect the timing of the transfer but that poor weather might cause the ceremony to be postponed a few days.
This week's spate of attacks on political gatherings is not a sign of a resurgent Al Qaeda in Iraq, said Bruce Hoffman, a counter-terrorism expert at Georgetown University.
- Blasts kill 2 U.S. soldiers in Iraq May 27, 2008
- Turkey strikes targets in Iraq Mar 30, 2008
- A general's view of Iraq Apr 03, 2007
