BAGHDAD — The U.S. death toll for April rose to 18, the military said Friday, making it the deadliest in seven The spike in attacks has raised concerns that insurgents are stepping up their efforts to re-ignite sectarian bloodshed as well as questions about the readiness of the Iraqis to take over responsibility for their own security as U.S. troops begin to withdraw.
U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. David Perkins blamed the recent bombings on al-Qaida in Iraq, saying the terror network is making a push to regain influence, particularly in Baghdad.
"We have had some increase in the number of these high-profile attacks, but nowhere near what we were seeing a year or a year and half ago,” he told reporters Friday.
The Iraqi and the U.S. militaries also have faced new hurdles as Iraqi officials grow more assertive about enforcing a security agreement that regulates the conduct of American troops in the field.
Iraq also has not yielded to American requests to allow access to a captured militant Iraqi authorities claim is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the head of Iraq’s main al-Qaida front group, Perkins said.
Most of the recent violence has targeted Iraqis since the Americans have begun pulling back from inner-city outposts in preparation for a withdrawal from urban areas by the end of June. But attacks have continued against U.S. forces.
Three deaths Thursday raised to 18 the number of U.S. troops killed in April, double the nine killed in March. April also saw the most troops killed in combat so far this year, as opposed to other causes.
by the associated press
No comments:
Post a Comment