BAGHDAD — A woman with explosives strapped to her body attacked the office of a Sunni group that had turned against al-Qaida in Iraq — one of two suicide bombings in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad that left at least 22 people dead Friday.
An Iraqi official claimed the woman was seeking revenge for her two sons who were killed fighting for al-Qaida.
The two brazen attacks were the latest in a series of al-Qaida assaults against members of the new "awakening groups" — mostly Sunnis including former insurgents who have begun cooperating with the Americans to rid their communities of extremists.
The first attack occurred at midmorning in Muqdadiyah when a woman detonated explosives in front of the building housing the office of the 1920 Revolution Brigade, a Sunni insurgent group whose members in the area switched sides this year and joined the fight against al-Qaida.
Police chief Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Tamimi said 15 people were killed and 20 wounded. U.S. officials put the toll at 12 dead and 17 wounded.
Later Friday, a suicide car bomber struck at a checkpoint about 10 miles away, killing seven Iraqi soldiers and three members of a local anti-al-Qaida group, Iraqi army Capt. Saad al-Zuhairi said.
State Dept.’s IG resigns under fire
WASHINGTON — The embattled State Department Inspector General, who has been accused of impeding a Justice Department investigation of Blackwater Worldwide, announced his resignation Friday, saying a poisonous political atmosphere in Washington deters people from careers in public service.
Howard Krongard told President Bush in a letter that he would quit effective Jan. 15. He released a brief statement that said recent congressional testimony and correspondence gives ample documentation of the reasons for his departure. He listed, in Washington-style bullet points, the dates of his previous statements dealing with conflict-of-interest and other allegations.
"I have nothing further to say at this time," he wrote.
Krongard has said he never stood in the way of the Blackwater probe, and he and his lawyer have said he did not know that his brother was a Blackwater adviser.
Blackwater Worldwide — a private contractor that protects U.S. diplomats in Iraq — is alleged to have smuggled weapons into the country.
Probe focusing on three guards
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors investigating the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians have narrowed their focus on as few as three Blackwater Worldwide bodyguards and have given others immunity for cooperating in the case, The Associated Press has learned.
New information about the deadly Sept. 16 incident, which has strained relations between the United States and Iraq, reflects progress by the government to prosecute Blackwater guards for the shooting in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square.
A final decision on whether to prosecute the guards — and how many — may still be months away.
People close to the case who spoke to AP noted concerns about testimony given by the four Blackwater guards who have so far appeared in front of the secret panel. The concerns stem, in part at least, from the fact that Blackwater is paying one law firm to represent as many as 10 guards, raising concerns that their stories could be coordinated.
Marine charged again with murder
SAN DIEGO — A Marine was charged a second time with murdering a detainee three years ago in Fallujah, Iraq, the military announced Friday.
Sgt. Jermaine A. Nelson was charged with murder and dereliction of duty, charges that were earlier dismissed to give a general time to review the case.
He will face a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for a court-martial. A date has not been set.
Nelson is the second person charged in the case that centers on allegations that a Marine squad shot a group of unarmed captives during heavy fighting in November 2004. Nelson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
Snapshot
Journalist detained: An international press freedom group expressed relief Friday that an Associated Press photographer held since April 2006 by the U.S. military in Iraq is "finally getting the chance" to learn the formal charges against him. But the New York-based group, the Committee to Protect Journalists, questioned why the Pentagon waited so long to bring the case before an Iraqi judge. The U.S. military is scheduled to present evidence on Sunday against Bilal Hussein to an Iraqi magistrate, who will decide whether to drop the case or bring it to trial. Hussein was taken into custody April 12, 2006 in Ramadi. The military has pointed to an array of suspicions that attempt to link him to insurgent activity.
