Iraq suicide bomber detonates water truck in former insurgent stronghold of Anbar, killing 2

By Katharine Houreld, AP
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Suicide bomber in water truck kills 2 in Iraq

BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber detonated a water truck packed with explosives near a building under construction Wednesday, killing two people in a western Iraqi province that was once a stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq, police said.

The attack struck a building under construction for the town council of Saqlawiyah, 45 miles (75 kilometers) west of Baghdad. Five people were wounded.

It was the latest in a resurgence of violence in Anbar province ahead of the country’s crucial March elections. The mainly Sunni province was once a hotbed of support for the al-Qaida linked insurgency before tribal leaders decided to work alongside the Shiite-dominated government three years ago.

It has been hit by a wave of attacks in recent weeks — at least one of which was claimed by The Islamic State of Iraq, a group linked to al-Qaida in Iraq.

Officials are concerned violence will rise in the run-up to March 7 parliamentary elections. U.S. officials are hoping for a peaceful vote as they prepare to pull combat units out of Iraq by the end of August. But Iraqi politics are riven by ethnic and sectarian rivalries which threaten stability.

Fallujah police chief Col. Mahmoud al-Issawi said the bomber detonated his explosive-packed truck near blast walls surrounding the future town council building. The chief of police for Saqlawiyah, Capt. Ehab Al-Muhamdi, said the bomber used a truck that usually carried water to mix with cement, so its arrival did not raise suspicion.

“The blast had occurred before the arrival of workers, which helped reduce the casualties,” he said.

Both police officials and a medical official at Fallujah hospital confirmed the number of casualties.

Even before Wednesday’s attacks, Anbar had seen a rise in violence. Simultaneous bombings killed five people in the town of Hit earlier this month. Another attack in the provincial capital of Ramadi killed 24 people and wounded the Anbar governor. The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility.

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