Carnage in Iraq

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Carnage in Iraq

Violence in Iraq claims at least 159

By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 9 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite prime minister promised Sunday to reshuffle his Cabinet after calling lawmakers disloyal and blaming Sunni Muslims for raging sectarian violence that claimed at least 159 more lives, including 35 men blown apart while waiting to join Iraq's police force.

Among the unusually high number of dead were 50 bodies found behind a regional electrical company in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, and 25 others found scattered throughout the capital. Three U.S. troops were reported killed, as were four British service members.

Also Sunday, the country's Sunni defense minister challenged Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's contention that the U.S. military should quickly pull back into bases and let the Iraqi army take control of security countrywide.

Defense Minister Abdul-Qadir al-Obaidi rejected calls by al-Maliki for the U.S. military to speed transfer of security operations throughout the country to the Iraqi army, saying his men still were too poorly equipped and trained to do the job.

"We are working hard to create a real army and we ask our government not to try to move too quickly because of the political pressure it feels. Our technical needs are real and that is very important, if we are to be a real force against insecurity," al-Obaidi said.

Al-Maliki wants the Americans confined to bases for him to call on in emergencies, but he boldly predicted his army could crush violence within six months if left alone to do the work.

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Four UK troops die in patrol boat attack in Iraq

By Peter Griffiths Sun Nov 12, 1:48 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Four British troops were killed and three seriously wounded in an attack on a patrol boat in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Sunday, the Ministry of Defense in London said.

Their boat was attacked on the Shatt al Arab river, the ministry said in a statement. The routine patrol was caught in an explosion caused by an improvised bomb, a spokesman said.

"The patrol was subject to an improvised explosive device," the ministry spokesman said.

Captain Tane Dunlop, the Multi-National forces spokesman in south
Iraq, told the BBC: "The use of improvised explosive devices is very common in Iraq. It is slightly unusual in that this time it was targeting a boat."

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Chaos!