Iraq suicide attacks, civilian deaths up: Pentagon

Washington, June 14: Suicide and other bombings have climbed throughout Iraq since the start of the US-led security crackdown in Baghdad, driving civilian casualties to their highest mark since 2004, the Pentagon said.

The number of attacks using explosively formed projectiles -- armor-penetrating advanced bomb technology Washington pins on Iran -- also hit an all-time high in April, according to the Defense Department's quarterly report on Iraq to the US Congress.

''High-profile attacks, usually conducted by (al Qaeda in Iraq), are now causing more casualties in Baghdad than do murders by militia, criminals or other armed groups,'' the report said.

The report was released yesterday just hours after suspected al Qaeda militants blew up the minarets of a revered Shi'ite mosque in Samarra where a similar attack in 2006 unleashed sectarian violence that has threatened to drive Iraq into civil war.

The Pentagon is adding about 30,000 US troops to Iraq, primarily in Baghdad, to reduce violence so political progress can be made. The US force totals 1,55,000 and will hit about 1,60,000 when all additional troops are in place this month.

But yesterday's report to Congress offered little evidence that violence was easing since the start of new security operations in February.

Suicide attacks across Iraq, for example, rose from 26 in January to 58 in March and 58 in April, the report said.

Explosively formed projectile attacks hit an all-time high in April, the report said without providing specific data. US officials have said Iran is providing that type of deadly technology to Iraqi insurgents, an accusation Tehran denies.

Average daily casualties continued to climb, according to the report, hitting more than 100 civilians per day during the security crackdown compared with less than 60 per day a year ago.

Iraqi Promises

The Pentagon said it was too early to assess results of the so-called ''surge,'' but its report showed the Iraqi government was failing to deliver on a key element of the crackdown -- an Iraqi promise to curb political interference in security operations.

''To date, operations in Baghdad indicate that Iraqi government delivery on these commitments has been uneven,'' the report said. ''For example, there have been reports of political involvement by some leaders in tactical and operational decisions that bypass the standard chain of command.'' Sectarian loyalties still influence government activity and the behaviour of security forces, the Pentagon said.

In fact, the report painted Iraq's interior ministry, responsible for the police, as plagued by sectarian influence.

''Militia influence impacts every component of the (Interior Ministry), particularly in Baghdad and several other key cities,'' it said. ''Militia infiltration of local police remains a significant problem.'' Pentagon spokesmen said the report reflected the past.

''It is a snapshot in time,'' said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman, noting the additional US troops were not fully in place during the February-to-May period covered by the report.

Another spokesman, US Army Col Gary Keck, said the Defense Department had its eye on September, when a progress report from commanders was due.

''September will be key to what's going on,'' he said.

Reuters

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