Chlorine Bomb Kills 27 at Iraqi Checkpoint

Apr 07, 08:31 PM

Current Headlines: By Steven R. Hurst

A suspected al-Qaida in Iraq suicide bomber smashed a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas into a police checkpoint in Ramadi on Friday, killing at least 27 people -- the ninth such attack since the group's first known use of a chemical weapon in January.

Al-Qaida in Iraq, which asserts fealty to Osama bin Laden, was believed to be hitting back at Sunni tribesmen who are banding together to expel foreign fighters from their territory.

The U.S. military reported the death of a 20th service member so far this month -- a soldier killed in a shooting Thursday in Kirkuk province. The military said the incident was under investigation, indicating the soldier did not die in combat. Spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly said he could give no further details.

At least 3,267 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq War in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven civilians employed by the military.

Including those killed in Ramadi, 46 people died or were found dead in sectarian violence nationwide on Friday.

The bombing in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province and an insurgent stronghold, left many people nearby with breathing difficulties and some needed hospitalization, according to police Maj. Jubair Rashid al-Nayef. Most were discharged in about 30 minutes. Thirty other victims remained hospitalized with wounds from the explosion.

Police were searching the rubble around the bomb site for more victims.

The first known chlorine attack took place Jan. 28, also in Ramadi. In low exposures, chlorine irritates the respiratory system, eyes and skin. Higher levels can lead to accumulation of fluid in the lungs and other symptoms. Death is possible with heavy exposure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the deep south of the country, Basra police commander Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Moussawi said the type of roadside bomb used in an attack that killed four British soldiers on Thursday had not been seen in the region previously. Al-Moussawi's description of the deadly weapon indicated it was a feared Iranian-designed explosively formed penetrator.

Weeks earlier, the American military had claimed Iran was supplying Shiite militia fighters in Iraq with the powerful weapons, known as EFPs. The bombs hurl a molten, fist-sized copper slug capable of piercing armored vehicles.

Nearer to Baghdad, Iraqi forces backed by American paratroopers swept into a troubled, predominantly Shiite area before dawn on Friday and killed three militia fighters, the U.S. military said. Twenty-seven militants were captured and two Iraqi and one U.S. soldier suffered wounds.

Residents reported heavy fighting between the U.S. and Iraqi forces and gunmen of the Mahdi Army militia in the area, 80 miles south of Baghdad.

Dr. Hameed Jaafi, the director of Diwaniyah Health Directorate, said an American helicopter fired on a house in the Askari neighborhood, seriously wounding 12 people as the assault began.

Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, a military spokesman, said there were no U.S. air strikes either by helicopters or planes.

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