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At least 42 people have been killed in a bomb attack near a Sunni mosque, hours after Iraq’s PM hailed a reduction in sectarian killings. A truck bomb exploded as worshippers left the mosque in Habbaniyah, 50 miles west of Baghdad, police said. As well as those killed, more than 60 people were hurt, reports said.
Earlier, Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki said sectarian killings and kidnappings had fallen in the wake of a new Baghdad security plan, launched 10 days ago.
Iraqi and US troops have set up
additional checkpoints in Baghdad
‘Willing co-operation’
After visiting the command centre co-ordinating the joint Iraqi-US security operation in Baghdad, Mr Maliki said 426 militants had been detained and “around that number” had been killed.
Mr Maliki vowed deal even-handedly with both Shia and Sunni rebels
He said many more militants had left the capital and vowed to bring them to justice.
BAGHDAD, Iraq – A suicide truck bomber sent a deadly storm of metal, stone and jagged plaster through worshippers leaving a Sunni mosque moments ago, killing at least 39 in a possible sign of escalating internal Sunni battles between insurgents and those who oppose them.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear. But it carried the hallmarks of an increasingly bloody struggle for control of Anbar province — a hotbed of anti-U.S. guerrillas since the uprising in Fallujah in 2004 that galvanized the insurgency.
U.S. military envoys and pro-government leaders have worked hard to sway clan chiefs and other influential Anbar figures to turn against the militants, who include foreign jihadists fighting under the banner of al-Qaida in Iraq. The extremists have fought back with targeted killings and bombings against fellow Sunnis.
The blast in Habbaniyah — in the heart of insurgent territory about 50 miles west of Baghdad — was among the deadliest against civilians in Anbar.
The imam of the mosque had spoken out against extremists — most recently in this Friday’s sermon, residents said. Many people in the neighborhood work for the Iraqi military and police forces, who frequently come under militant attack.
Failed Assassination Attempt on Abdul Aziz al-Hakim with Truck Bomb
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Top Iraqi condemns US over Iran
BAGHDAD (BBC News) Jan. 17 2007 – One of Iraq’s most powerful Shia politicians has condemned the arrest of Iranians by US forces in Iraq as an attack on the country’s sovereignty. The comments by Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, made in a BBC interview, are seen as the strongest expression yet of Iraq’s concern about the US approach to Iran. They follow two recent US raids in which Iranians were arrested.
The remarks are interesting as Mr Hakim is seen as close to President Bush, says the BBC’s Andrew North in Baghdad.
U.S. troops detain son of Shia leader at Iranian border crossing
BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. troops detained the eldest son of Iraq’s most influential Shiite politician for nearly 12 hours as he crossed back from Iran – the same route Washington believes is used to keep powerful Shiite militias flush with weapons and aid.
Even though the U.S. ambassador issued a rapid apology, the decision to hold Amar al-Hakim risks touching off a backlash from Shiite leaders at a time when their cooperation is needed most to keep a major security sweep through Baghdad from unraveling.
It also highlights the often knotty relationship between U.S. military authorities and Iraq’s elected leaders, whose ties to neighboring patrons – Syria backing Sunnis, and Iran acting as big brother to majority Shiites – add fuel to sectarian rivalries and bring recriminations from Washington about alleged arms smuggling and outside interference.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
