Suicide car bombers kill seven in Iraq

BAGHDAD - Suicide car bombers mounted two attacks against Iraqi soldiers in northern Iraq, killing at least seven people, as hundreds of thousands of Shi'ites converged on a southern city for a religious ceremony.

In one attack, a suicide bomber blew up his car at an Iraqi army checkpoint in Suleiman Beik, 95km south of the city of Kirkuk, killing three Iraqi soldiers and two civilians, a captain in the Iraqi military told Reuters.

In the town of Samarra, a stronghold of Sunni Arab insurgents 100km north of Baghdad, a car bomber detonated his vehicle beside an army patrol, killing at least two Iraqi soldiers, local officials said.

Suicide bombers are increasingly targeting Iraqi security forces on patrol or at checkpoints, rather than mounting large-scale attacks on police stations or military bases.

US officers say this is because security has improved at buildings likely to be targeted by insurgents.

In the sacred Shi'ite city of Kerbala, 110km southwest of Baghdad, the streets were packed with pilgrims arriving to observe Arbain, a mourning ceremony commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in the 7th century.

Officials in Kerbala said more than three million pilgrims had come to the city over the past week, many of them walking from Baghdad and even further afield. Many pilgrims beat themselves and slash their heads with swords to express their grief during the ceremony, which was banned by Saddam Hussein.

Hundreds of Iraqi police and soldiers are on alert in Kerbala to thwart any insurgent attacks.

Mainly Sunni guerrillas fighting to overthrow Iraq's US-backed government have mounted repeated attacks on Shi'ites, who they accuse of allying with the Americans. Shi'ite leaders say they will not be drawn into a sectarian civil war.

Last year, suicide bombers attacked pilgrims during the Shi'ite Ashura ceremony in Baghdad and Kerbala, killing more than 130 people. Bomb attacks also killed at least 35 people this year during Ashura, which comes 40 days before Arbain.

All traffic was banned from Kerbala for Arbain, with those who arrived in vehicles having to park well outside the city and continue on foot. The ceremony climaxed on Thursday.

Shi'ites make up a majority of Iraq's population but were oppressed for decades under Saddam. Following the historic Jan. 30 elections, however, they are poised to dominate politics, with a mainly Shi'ite alliance holding a majority in parliament.

But two months after the polls, politicians have been unable to agree on the shape of Iraq's next government, sparking a political crisis that has infuriated Iraqis who braved suicide bombers and insurgent threats to vote in the elections.

The Shi'ite alliance and the Kurdish coalition that came second in the polls have been haggling for weeks over cabinet posts. There has also been an impasse over how to give key government posts to representatives of the Sunni Arab minority.

Sunni Arabs dominated Iraq during Saddam's rule but many of their supporters boycotted the elections or were too afraid to vote, so only 17 Sunni Arabs were elected to the 275-member parliament. Shi'ites and Kurds say they want to involve Sunni Arabs in the government to prevent further sectarian strife.

One post that has been offered to Sunni Arabs is that of parliament speaker. But parliament's second-ever session on Tuesday failed to agree on who would take the post, and ended in acrimony with several lawmakers denouncing the deadlock.

Many politicians say the stalemate is benefiting insurgents who are pressing on with attacks on Iraqi and foreign targets.

In the latest foreign hostage crisis, three Romanian journalists and their translator, who holds Iraqi, American and Romanian citizenship, were abducted this week in Baghdad. Insurgents released a video showing them being held at gunpoint.

- REUTERS