Suicide bombers kill 29 in Iraq (Bush's "surge" is working)

[ProSense]

Suicide bombers kill 29 in Iraq

by Hassan al-Obeidi Tue Dec 25, 5:13 AM ET

TIKRIT, Iraq (AFP) - Two suicide bombings killed 29 people in Iraq on Tuesday, including 25 who died when a bomber slammed his vehicle into a truck carrying gas cylinders at an Iraqi army checkpoint near Baiji.

The two attacks appeared to be directed against groups fighting Al-Qaeda militants in Iraq.

The truck bombing occurred on the outskirts of the refinery town of Baiji, 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Baghdad, an official from the joint Iraqi-US-security coordination centre in Tikrit said.

The bomber drove his pick-up vehicle into the truck, which was full of cooking gas cylinders, at the checkpoint manned by Iraqi soldiers and members of a group fighting Al-Qaeda, the official said. About 85 people were also wounded.

A medic from the local hospital and the US military both confirmed the attack, which was close to the Baiji oil refinery from where fuel products are distributed across Iraq.

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Turk Iraq raids 'killed hundreds'

Turkish forces have killed hundreds of Kurdish rebels and struck more than 200 targets in northern Iraq in the past 10 days, the Turkish military has said.

Up to 175 rebels were killed on 16 December alone, the military statement added. More cross-border air raids were reported on Tuesday.

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Targets hit include three command centres, two communications centres, two training camps, nine logistical areas, 182 living quarters and 14 arsenals, the statement said.

On Monday, the president of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, Massoud Barzani, condemned Turkey's raids and warned Ankara to stop the strikes.

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CNN's version of reality: Quieter Christmas in Iraq

[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[tuckessee]

2. They're just Iraqis.

No one's counting.

[ProSense]

3. Death toll eases but Iraq awaits its full 'Awakening'

Death toll eases but Iraq awaits its full 'Awakening'

by Jay Deshmukh 57 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A controversial surge in US troop numbers has cut the death toll in Iraq but prospects for reconciliation between its divided communities remain a distant dream as the conflict enters a New Year.

If 2006 saw a bloody insurgency escalate into a vicious sectarian war, 2007 saw the bloodletting peak in January and then recede each month on policy shifts by Washington and changes on the ground.

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Iraq also saw its deadliest attack since the invasion this autumn. On August 14, four truck bombs killed more than 400 people from the minority Yazidi community, regarded as infidel by many Muslims, in two northern villages.

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The UN High Commissioner for Refugees warned that security remained inadequate for a mass return by the estimated 4.2 million Iraqis who have fled their homes since the invasion.

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[ProSense]

4. Kick! n/t