Iraq carnage kills 21 as UN official warns time not ripe for polls

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (AFP) - At least 21 people were killed in the latest in a renewed spree of attacks to hit Iraq (news - web sites), as a top UN official issued a stark warning that elections could not be held in the current climate of violence.


The deadly attacks, which added to the grim toll of 40 people killed in violence the day earlier, included the gunning down of 17 Iraqis employed by a US contractor while on their way to work.


Lakhdar Brahami, a special advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) and until recently his top envoy in Iraq, said the landmark January 30 vote "could only take place "if first and foremost security improves."

~snip~
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041205/wl_mideast_afp/iraq&cid=1514&ncid=1480

[leftchick]

1. Insurgents Kill 21 Iraqis North of Baghdad

The U.S. 1st Infantry Division said gunmen in two cars opened fire on two civilian buses carrying Iraqis to work at an arms dump outside Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit on Sunday. As well as the 17 killed, 13 Iraqis were wounded.

A suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle beside a National Guard convoy in the rebel stronghold of Baiji, north of Tikrit, killing local National Guard commander Mohammed Jassim Rumaied and three of his bodyguards, colleagues said.

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=959030&tw=wn_wire_story

[maddezmom]

2. Northern ING chief escapes assassination attempt

KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) - The national guard commander in Iraq (news - web sites)'s northern oil-rich region of Kirkuk survived an assassination attempt.



"A homemade bomb exploded as my convoy passed at 11:30 pm (2030 GMT) on Saturday as I was going to the Khabbaza oil wells (near Kirkuk)," General Anwar Ahmed Amin told AFP.


"No one was hurt," he added.


It is the first reported attack on national guards in the oil-rich region since they were sent there on November 23.


~snip~

Amin also said that firefighters had still been unable to put out fires at oil wells sabotaged on November 21 at Khabbaza.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041205/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_unrest_kirkuk&cid=1514&ncid=1480

[maddezmom]

3. Insurgents Kill 23 Iraqis Countrywide

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041205/wl_nm/iraq_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480