Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive

Insurgents target police, Interior Ministry officials, tribal leaders for assassination
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 26, 2007 4:11 AM CDT
Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive
Tribal leaders arrive, under heavy security, for a national reconciliation meeting between Sunni and Shiite leaders in the Radwaniyah area of southwestern Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007. Tragedy struck a similar meeting on Monday in Baqouba, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad,...   (Associated Press)

Sunni insurgents have launched an assassination campaign aimed at  Iraqi police and officials of the Interior Ministry to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, reports the New York Times. Eight police officers, including a police chief, have been killed and 30 injured. A provincial governor  survived a suicide bombing when five bodyguards sacrificed their own lives to shield him from the blast.

Ten attacks were carried out in 48 hours. The campaign is believed to be an attempt to contradict US assertions that the American troop surge has improved safety. “The terrorist groups are trying to say to the world that the Crocker-Petraeus report did not reflect the reality of the security situation,” said an Iraqi official. (More Iraq stories.)

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