Suicide Bomber Kills 9 Sunni Fighters in Iraq

(NEWSER) - As the US military prepares to withdraw from Iraq's cities, security officials in both countries have observed that a smaller but more lethal insurgency seems to be gaining ground. Several recent bombings, believed to be orchestrated by al-Qaeda in Iraq, have killed 123 people in Baghdad and elsewhere, while members of the Sunni Awakening Movement have faced assassination attempts. As the New York Times reports, the attacks are a reminder of instability in a country that has been relatively peaceful of late. More»

Arrest of Sunni leader fuels tension

(NEWSER) - A showdown this weekend between Iraqi security forces and Sunni fighters known as the Awakening, both US allies, could signal challenges facing Iraq as the US prepares to leave, the Washington Post reports. After Iraqi and US forces arrested an Awakening leader Saturday, Sunni fighters swarmed a Baghdad neighborhood. "No Awakening member would remain silent over this injustice," one group leader said. At least eight Iraqi soldiers were injured. More»

Diyala-area Awakening leader hit in attack

(NEWSER) - A female suicide bomber assassinated a Sunni Awakening leader in his Diyala province home today, the AP reports, killing the sheik’s bodyguard, cousin, and 5-year-old niece along with him. The woman had come to see the sheik yesterday, saying her husband had been kidnapped and was begging for help. “She came back this morning and nobody checked her,” the sheik’s brother said. More»

16 die in second attack by a woman in 2 weeks; another blast kills 10

(NEWSER) - A woman detonated a bomb today in the offices of a group fighting Al-Qaeda in central Iraq, killing 16 and injuring 27. The suicide bombing, at the Muqdadiyah office of an anti-al-Qaeda group, was the second by a woman in 2 weeks, AFP reports. Elsewhere in restive Diyala province, a bombing at a checkpoint killed 10, the BBC reports. More»

7 killed as suicide bombers battle anti-terrorism station

(NEWSER) - Iraqi insurgents stormed a police station in Ramadi yesterday, triggering a firefight that killed at least seven people. The attack followed several car bombings throughout the city. The compound houses an anti-terrorism unit and a prison, reports the BBC. Attackers moved in after two suicide bombers who had infiltrated the building blew themselves up. "The attackers controlled the roof of the building, and clashes started between police and them," said a security commander. "After two hours, police forces entered the building and all the suicide bombers detonated themselves." The latest confrontation follows a suicide bomber attack the previous day on Shia pilgrims near Basra that killed 53 people. More»