Spate Of Deadly Attacks In Iraq
One day after Iraq's National Assembly approved the country's first democratically elected government, insurgents launched a series of attacks in Iraq on Friday, killing at least 20 Iraqis and an American soldier. At least 69 people were injured.
The worst-hit area was a district of Baghdad where four suicide car bombs exploded, hitting Iraqi soldiers and police and Iraqi civilians on a Friday, the Muslim day of worship for most Iraqis.
U.S. military officials say an American soldier was also killed Thursday and four others were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Hawija, 150 miles north of Baghdad.
In the Azamiyah section of Baghdad, the first suicide car bomb hit an Iraqi army patrol, the second a police patrol, and the third and fourth - in quick succession - separate barricades near the headquarters of the Interior Ministry's local special forces unit, said police chief Brig. Khalid al-Hassan.
Col. Hussein Mutlak said the attacks in Azamiyah killed at least 20 Iraqis: 15 soldiers and five civilians. He said at least 65 were injured, of them 30 troops and 35 civilians.
In other recent developments:
On Thursday, parliament approved a new Shiite-dominated Cabinet that excludes the Sunni minority from meaningful positions and could hamper efforts to dampen the deadly insurgency.
Two of the four deputy prime minister's slots remain vacant, however, and five ministries, including the important defense and oil slots, were left in the hands of temporary managers.
Incoming Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari hailed the new Cabinet as "the first step in building the new Iraq." While the country faces significant hurdles, he said Iraqis who "challenged tyranny" by electing a new parliament in January "will help this government to succeed and will not be intimidated."
Sunni leaders, including Deputy President Ghazi al-Yawer, expressed disappointment with the lineup.
"The number of ministries given to the Sunnis is not enough," al-Yawer told reporters. But he said the issue could be resolved soon as Iraq continues its transition to democracy, including electing a new government by year's end.
The partial Iraqi Cabinet was appointed after three months of political infighting, as U.S. officials worried that the political vacuum was encouraging insurgents, who have staged a series of dramatic and well-coordinated attacks in recent weeks.
The primary goal of Iraq's first elected government will be to write a permanent constitution by mid-August. It must be submitted to a referendum no later than Oct. 15. If the constitution is approved, elections for a permanent government must be held by Dec. 15.
In Washington Thursday, President Bush put a positive spin on the vote, issuing a statement that the Iraqi Cabinet "will represent the unity and diversity" of the country as it begins the work of drafting a new constitution, fighting terrorism and ensuring basic services for its citizens.
However, nearly a third of the 275-member National Assembly stayed away from the vote, underscoring the myriad ethnic and religious divisions that have hampered the formation of a government since landmark parliamentary elections on Jan. 30.
The 185 lawmakers assembled behind the blast walls and sandbags of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone voted by a show of hands, approving the list by 180 votes.
The new Cabinet held its first meeting Thursday night to discuss the handover between outgoing Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and al-Jaafari, which is also expected within days.
The approved ministers include 15 Shiite Arabs, seven Kurds, four Sunnis and one Christian. Six of them are women.