Sep 8, 2006 6:38 am US/Mountain
Separate Attacks Kill 5 People In Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) ―
A roadside bomb in Baghdad and a mortar attack on Shiite pilgrims south of the capital killed five people Friday, authorities said, a day before tens of thousands of people were expected in the Shiite holy city of Karbala for a religious festival.
A roadside bomb also struck an Iraqi army convoy in a village near Karmah, 50 miles west of Baghdad, killing four Iraqi soldiers, police said.
An American soldier died after being wounded in a roadside bomb explosion south of Baghdad, the U.S. military command said. A British soldier died Thursday of injuries sustained when his patrol came under fire in Qurnah, about 35 miles north of Basra, on Tuesday.
The 10 deaths came a day after U.S.-led forces turned over control of Iraq's military command to the Shiite-led government, a key step toward the eventual withdrawal of foreign troops.
But the ceremony in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone only transferred authority for one of Iraq's 10 divisions and its small air force and navy, and it remained unclear how quickly Iraqi forces would be prepared to take over security.
In Musayyib, about 40 miles south of Baghdad, three mortar rounds landed on a procession of pilgrims heading to Karbala for Saturday's ceremony, killing at least three and wounding 22, four of whom were critically injured, police said.
Tens of thousands of people are expected in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, to observe the birthday of Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, a 9th century religious leader. Many walk to the city from across Iraq and several attacks have already occurred against processions heading to the city.
In Baghdad, a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed two people and wounded six, police said. The blast was in the Zayouna area in the east of the capital and the wounded included three policemen, police 1st Lt. Bilal Ali Majid said.
The bombing came a day after six attacks — including three by suicide car bombers — targeted police patrols in Baghdad, killing 17 people and wounding dozens.
On Thursday, Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed a document taking control of Iraq's small naval and air forces and the 8th Iraqi Army Division, based in the south.
"Today is an important milestone, but we still have a way to go," Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said during the ceremony.
Handing over control of the country's security to Iraqi forces is vital to any eventual drawdown of U.S. forces here. After Saddan Hussein's army was disbanded following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, coalition forces have been training the new Iraqi military.
The nine other Iraqi divisions remain under U.S. control, with authority gradually being transferred. U.S. military officials said there was no specific timetable for the transition but U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said Wednesday the Iraqis have "talked about perhaps two divisions a month."
In parliament Thursday, a legislative session degenerated into a shouting match as Sunni Arabs accused the majority Shiites of seeking to carve Iraq into sectarian enclaves.
Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani interrupted a session after a draft bill submitted by the largest Shiite party led to accusations from Sunni Arabs that they were trying to divide Iraq. A live broadcast from parliament was pulled off the air amid acrimonious debate.
Sunni Arab legislator Saleh al-Mutlaq threatened his people "will not stay in a parliament that leads to the division of Iraq" and threatened to boycott any session that sought to approve such legislation.
The concept of federalism is enshrined in the new Iraqi constitution, and the Kurds in the north already have their own autonomous region. However, special legislation and a referendum would be needed to establish a federation comprised of autonomous regions.
Both the north and mainly Shiite south are rich in oil, and Sunni Arabs could end up squeezed into Baghdad and Iraq's western provinces, which have no resources. Many Sunnis fear that federalism will lead to the breakup of the country.
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