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S. Iraq Bombs Kill At Least 41

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By ROBERT H. REID, The Associated Press

Published: December 13, 2007

BAGHDAD - Three car bombs exploded in quick succession Wednesday at the main market of a southern Shiite city, killing at least 41 people and wounding 150 others, police and local government officials said. It was the deadliest attack against Iraqi civilians in four months.

The devastating blasts in Amarah, an oil-producing city largely spared from sectarian bloodshed, occurred only days before Britain was expected to hand over a neighboring southern province - the last remaining under British control since the 2003 invasion.

Fears are rising about whether Iraq's mostly Shiite security forces can control Shiite militias competing for power in the oil-rich south, even as U.S. officials report dramatic drops in violence nationwide.

American commanders fear that al-Qaida in Iraq and other extremists might try to exploit the security gap by attempting spectacular attacks against Shiite civilians in less-protected areas outside Baghdad, especially where there is little coalition military presence.

No group claimed responsibility for the Amarah bombings, which appeared to be bomb-rigged cars rather than suicide attacks. The blasts occurred minutes apart and seemed to be timed to bring maximum carnage.
Bystanders rushed to help victims of the first blast, only to suffer death or injury in the explosions that followed, police and witnesses said in Amarah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Car bombs are the signature weapon of al-Qaida and other Sunni extremists seeking new sanctuaries after being driven out of the Baghdad area.

But such groups have had virtually no presence in Amarah and the surrounding Maysan province, where there are few Sunni communities to offer them shelter.

Rival Shiite militias, some of which are believed to be backed by Iran, pose the biggest security threat in the south. That threat has drawn new attention since Britain announced plans to draw down on its military presence.

The Amarah police chief was fired after the explosions, and Iraqi soldiers deployed on the streets. Hospital were overwhelmed with the casualties, which mounted as bodies were pulled from the rubble, a provincial spokesman said.

The blasts began with a small explosion at the entrance to the market, said Mohammed Saleh, a provincial council spokesman. Saleh said bystanders rushed to the scene to care for the handful of wounded when a second car bomb exploded. The third car blew up nearby as the crowd began to flee, he said.

Philip Reeker, the U.S. Embassy spokesman, said recent attacks in Amarah and elsewhere highlight dangers still facing Iraq, despite a decline in violence around Baghdad.

"We are by no means declaring a victory against those who would like to disrupt the progress in Iraq," he said.

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