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27 killed in chlorine bomb attack

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 7, 2007

BAGHDAD - A suspected al-Qaida in Iraq suicide bomber smashed a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas into a police checkpoint in Ramadi on Friday, killing at least 27 people - the ninth such attack since the group's first known use of a chemical weapon in January.

Al-Qaida in Iraq, which asserts fealty to Osama bin Laden, was believed to be hitting back at Sunni tribesmen who are banding together to expel foreign fighters from their territory.

An Internet posting by the Islamic Army in Iraq, meanwhile, exposed a growing and deep split among even the most radical Sunni groups, which are linked under the umbrella organization called the Islamic State of Iraq.

Including those killed in Ramadi, 46 people died or were found dead in sectarian violence nationwide on Friday.

The bombing in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province and an insurgent stronghold, left many people nearby with breathing difficulties and some needed hospitalization, according to police Maj. Jubair Rashid al-Nayef. Most were released in about 30 minutes. Thirty other victims were hospitalized with wounds from the explosion.

Police opened fire as the suicide bomber sped toward a checkpoint three miles west of the city, police Col. Tariq al-Dulaimi said. Nearby buildings were heavily damaged, and police were searching the rubble for more victims.

In the Internet feud, the Islamic Army in Iraq gave a rare glimpse of deep discord inside the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella organization for militant groups.

In a Thursday posting, the Islamic Army charged that al-Qaida - a key group inside the Islamic State - was killing fighters of the Islamic army and other militant Sunni groups if they did not pledge loyalty to al-Qaida.

"All Sunni people have become targets for them (al-Qaida), especially the wealthy. They either have to pay or be killed. Anyone who criticizes al-Qaida or disagrees or points out its mistakes is killed," the posting said.

The U.S. military reported the death of a 20th service member so far this month - a soldier killed in a shooting Thursday in Kirkuk province. The military said the incident was under investigation, indicating the soldier did not die in combat. Spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly said he could give no further details.

Iraqi and U.S. soldiers battled with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army on Friday in the south-central Iraqi city of Diwaniyah that has been in the throes of a Shiite power struggle.

As many as six al-Mahdi Army members were killed, 27 were detained and six wounded during fighting, the U.S. military said.

Other iraq news

13,000 may be called up

About 13,000 National Guard troops are expected to be notified soon that they could be sent to Iraq around the first of next year, military officials say. The alert is expected to affect Oklahoma, Indiana and Arkansas.

Other Iraq developments:

Infiltration slows: Fewer arms and fighters from Syria are entering Iraq, but a major reason is that the terrorists of al-Qaida in Iraq now need less foreign help, Marine Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin said Friday. "Al-Qaida has become self-sufficient inside the country," said Gaskin.

American faces death sentence: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to intervene Friday in the case of U.S. citizen Mohammed Munaf, who faces a death sentence in Iraq for his role in the kidnapping of three Romanian journalists.

Pensions for Hussein officers: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Friday ordered pension payments for senior officers of Saddam Hussein's military and offered a return to service for lower-ranking soldiers, a major step aimed at defusing the Sunni insurgency and meeting U.S. benchmarks for his government.

[Last modified April 7, 2007, 01:48:34]