BAGHDAD: Three US troops have been killed in fighting west of Baghdad, the military said yesterday, making April the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq since September.
The deaths come as a series of deadly bombings in recent weeks has raised concerns that insurgents are stepping up their efforts to reignite sectarian bloodshed and derail security gains that have brought overall violence to its lowest levels in recent years.
Most of the violence has targeted Iraqis since the Americans have begun pulling back from inner-city outposts in preparation for a withdrawal from urban areas by the end of June. But attacks have continued against US forces.
The two US Marines and one sailor were killed Thursday while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, according to a statement. Anbar is a former insurgent stronghold that has been relatively calm since Sunni tribal leaders turned against Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Tensions rose yesterday in northern Iraq after a pre-dawn raid that killed two brothers in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit. The provincial governor and tribal leaders blamed the US military and demanded an apology, saying the raid violated a security agreement regulating US forces’ conduct.
Iraqi police, meanwhile, said they had foiled a planned suicide bombing and arrested the suspected attacker near a Shiite mosque in the northern city of Kirkuk. Panicked worshippers fled after hearing of the attempt, and some were wounded by broken glass as they tried to jump through mosque windows to escape.
