Insurgent Attacks Kill at Least 21 in Iraq

Insurgents killed at least 21 people Monday and early today with a string of suicide car bombings and other attacks as the campaign to disrupt this month’s parliamentary elections appeared to be intensifying.

The attacks focused on a familiar list of primary insurgent targets: the American military and political presence, the interim government and Iraqi security forces, which are being asked to play an increasing role in establishing stability.

Suicide bombers struck three times in the capital, at checkpoints near the heavily fortified Green Zone, near the headquarters of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s political party and at the entrance to an Iraqi national guard base next to a former government palace. A fourth suicide car bomb exploded at an Iraqi national guard checkpoint in the town of Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

The attack outside the Iraqi National Accord headquarters in central Baghdad came about 10 a.m. as a bomber attempted to penetrate the labyrinth of security barriers that restrict access to the site.

Perhaps thwarted by the security cordon, the bomber, driving what witnesses described as a Chevrolet Caprice painted to look like a taxi, detonated his device more than 300 yards from the building. The blast killed two police officers and a passerby and injured at least 20 other people.

Allawi was reportedly not present at the time.

After the explosion, U.S. and Iraqi forces sealed off the area, which lies alongside Baghdad’s vast Zawra public gardens and the Baghdad Zoo. Police officers fired wildly in the air to clear a path to the scene, and U.S. scout helicopters zoomed low overhead.

Another suicide bomber struck late Monday evening outside one of the entrances to the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. and British embassies, the Iraqi interim government offices and many foreign contractors. Witnesses said the attacker rammed his car into a sport utility vehicle.

Associated Press identified the victims as employees of the U.S.-based security firm Kroll Inc., though the company declined to comment.

This morning, a booby-trapped fuel truck exploded at the entrance to the Iraqi guard base, said a police officer at the scene in central Baghdad. At least four people were killed and 20 hurt, said potential guard recruit Mohammed Nather, who was inside the base at the time. He said the driver opened fire to chase guards away, and then the vehicle exploded. Some early reports placed the death toll as high as 13, but those were not immediately confirmed.

In Balad, the suicide bomber struck around 7:40 a.m., killing four national guardsmen and wounding 14 others, according to the U.S. military. The attack came a day after a suicide bomber struck a bus carrying guardsmen in the same town, killing at least 20 people.

In addition to the suicide attacks, AP reported that six Iraqi national guard soldiers were killed and 14 wounded by a roadside bomb in Tikrit, and an Iraqi policeman died and two others were wounded when an explosive wired to a beheaded corpse exploded in the northern city of Mosul.

The U.S. military announced Monday that additional American and Iraqi troops had begun to arrive in Mosul, which has teetered on the brink of chaos for more than a month. Insurgents attacked police and national guard contingents there in November and still hold sway over parts of the city. The military did not say how many extra troops were being deployed.

The troop buildup was seen as possible preparation for a new push to drive insurgents out.

Instability in Mosul and the massive destruction in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallouja, both large Sunni Muslim population centers, have led to fears that the Sunnis won’t be given sufficient opportunities to vote, further marginalizing the minority that ruled under the government of Saddam Hussein.

Sunni opposition to the elections, which the Shiite Muslim majority is expected to dominate, has fueled both the insurgency and a political boycott by Sunni leaders. The Iraqi Islamic Party, the largest Sunni religious party, announced its withdrawal last week unless a delay is granted. Most of the Sunni leaders still participating in the election also advocate a postponement.

Iraq’s defense minister told reporters in Cairo that the Jan. 30 election may be postponed, making him the most prominent official in the interim government to float that possibility.

Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan, in an interview in Cairo with Agence France-Presse news service, said a delay would be acceptable if it was the only way to ensure full Sunni participation.

“We want to give our Sunni brothers another chance even if this means delaying the vote,” said Shaalan, who is a Shiite. “If such a participation requires a delay to the election date, they could be delayed.”

Special correspondents Raheem Salman and Saif Rasheed contributed to this report.