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U.S. Envoy in Iraq Accuses Iran Of Assisting Militias, Insurgents
An Iraqi soldier inspects the wreckage of a bus after a suicide attack in Baghdad. Bombings killed at least 25 Iraqis.
(By Asaad Muhsin -- Associated Press)
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At a news conference in Najaf on Monday, Ibrahim al-Jafari, the Iraqi prime minister, said foreign governments were not expected to interfere in the process of forming a government. "The next government will be formed by Iraqi hands and it will take into account the election results," he said. "And will seek to apply standards of honesty, competence and efficiency so that the performance of the government shall be strong."
Meanwhile, at least 25 Iraqis were killed in bombings Monday morning, police said, and a roadside bomb killed a coalition soldier patrolling southeast of Karbala, U.S. military authorities said in a statement.
The bulk of the attacks were in Baghdad. In the worst incident, a man detonated an explosive vest inside a bus in northern Baghdad, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than five, said Maj. Mukhallad Ani, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Ani said the bomber targeted a bus that was carrying Shiites near the Hawija bus station in the Shiite Kadhimiya neighborhood.
In Mosul, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt inside a restaurant, killing three and wounding six, all police officers, according to hospital and police officials.
The attack took place in the Abu Ali restaurant in central Mosul, said Gen. Abdul Hamid Jubouri, a spokesman for the Nineveh province police. The restaurant is close to the police headquarters and is frequented by officers, witnesses said.
Last week, insurgents destroyed a communications center in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's restive Anbar province. The insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq asserted responsibility this week. A U.S. military spokesman confirmed Monday that a communications building had been attacked but did not provide details.
Mahmood Fahdawi, the city's communications manager, said the building housed a tip line that residents could use to inform authorities of insurgent activity. But he said it also controlled cell phone service for a large part of the province.
Residents said the city is now largely disconnected from the rest of the world. Insurgents have targeted people using satellite phones, now the only means to contact security forces in the city, residents said.
Ismael Bayati, a physician, said even the city's hospital was cut off.
Correspondent Jonathan Finer and special correspondents Omar Fekeiki and Bassam Sebti in Baghdad, Saad Sarhan in Najaf and Dlovan Brwari in Mosul contributed to this report.
