Dozens Killed in 4 Iraqi Cities as Insurgents Hit Police Targets

BAGHDAD —  Militants launched a series of attacks in four cities across Iraq this morning, killing dozens of Iraqi police and civilians and at least one U.S. soldier.

In the northern city of Mosul, about two dozen Iraqis were reported killed and dozens were wounded when a car bomb exploded at the Directorate of Rescue Police in Wadi Hajar, in the western part of the city. The building was severely damaged in the attack.

In Baqubah, dozens of militants -- wearing headbands with the words “Battalions of Monotheism and Holy War” -- attacked all around the city, killing a U.S. soldier and several Iraqi police at an area called Mufrek Circle, said Maj. Neal O’Brien, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division.

Wire services and Al Jazeera satellite television reported that at least one police station was attacked in Ramadi, with several officers killed. Al Jazeera said the station was blasted with explosives, and at least one civilian also was killed.

In Fallouja, witnesses reported hearing multiple explosions. Reuters news agency quoted witnesses as saying that U.S. forces were fighting with guerrillas, and U.S. armored vehicles were moving into parts of the city. Arab television reported heavy clashes between U.S. troops and insurgents.

Renewed clashes in Fallouja come after more than a month of relative calm following a cease-fire agreement in May. Over the last week, U.S. troops launched two airstrikes in Fallouja against suspected safe houses for agents of Abu Musab Zarqawi, the suspected mastermind of bombings and beheadings in Iraq.

The attacks come less than a week before the U.S. planned transfer of authority to an interim government Wednesday. U.S. and Iraqi security officials have been bracing for a surge in violence aimed at disrupting the hand-over.

In Baqubah, three other soldiers were wounded when the insurgents fired guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The patrol returned fire, killing two insurgents, O’Brien said.

Several Iraqi police stations were also attacked, including the Baqubah station, the Mufrek station, the Blue Dome station and the Al Wahda station west of the city. Insurgents stormed the last station and took control for two hours, seizing weapons, witnesses said.

Troops with the 1st Infantry Division responded by isolating a group of insurgents near the soccer stadium east of the Blue Dome station and F-16 jets attacked the insurgents’ positions.

Arab satellite TV showed pictures of black-masked insurgents waving grenade launchers over their heads and of dead Iraqi police in the street.

At least two Iraqi police cars were attacked as they patrolled, and the officers inside were killed, one witness said.

Wednesday, Zarqawi reportedly threatened to assassinate interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, as U.S. military officials said they had killed 20 of the militant’s followers in a Fallouja airstrike.

In an audio message posted on a radical Islamist website, a voice claiming to be Zarqawi said Allawi had already escaped several attempts on his life.

“You don’t even know how you have repeatedly escaped from our many attempts, but we promise you we will continue the match with you until the end,” the voice said.

The Jordanian-born Zarqawi is believed to be responsible for the beheadings of American hostage Nicholas Berg and South Korean Kim Sun Il, whose body was found Tuesday.

The voice referred to an Iraqi Governing Council member killed in a car bombing last month: “We won’t stop until we make you drink from the same glass that Ezzedine Salim drank from or until we die.”

In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp., Allawi shrugged off the threat, saying it was expected, and he vowed to continue the hunt for Zarqawi.

“We will get him, and we will get all the criminals and get them to face a just trial,” Allawi said.

The threat against Allawi came amid fears that insurgents would launch attacks before the U.S.-led coalition’s scheduled transfer of power to Iraq’s interim government June 30.

A senior U.S. military official disputed reports by Iraqi officials in Fallouja that the Tuesday night missile attack there hit a half-empty parking lot, killing two bystanders.

The military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the attack -- the second in four days against alleged Zarqawi associates -- struck its target.

The official promised an aggressive pursuit of Zarqawi. Coalition officials have offered a $10-million reward for information leading to his capture.

The U.S. attacks on Fallouja have called into question the status of the Fallouja Brigade, the U.S.-backed force meant to patrol the rebellious Sunni Triangle city and end insurgent activity there. The brigade, under the command of former officers in Saddam Hussein’s army, was formed to help end a bloody three-week U.S. siege prompted by the killing and mutilation of four American security contractors in late March.

In exchange for the U.S. lifting the siege, the brigade pledged to clamp down on insurgents and hunt down those responsible for the killings. It has apparently done neither.

The military official said the recent missile strikes “have nothing really to do with” the arrangement involving the Fallouja Brigade. He added that the brigade’s “report card is somewhat mixed.”

U.S. officials say the city has become a staging ground for home-grown insurgents and foreign fighters allied with Zarqawi. The decision by the U.S. military to attack what it says are insurgent safe houses indicates a lack of confidence in the brigade’s ability -- or willingness -- to do the same.

“We remain concerned that there are a number of foreign fighters still on the ground in Fallouja. We continue to press on the Fallouja Brigade to adhere to their commitments,” the official said.

Sanders is a Times staff writer and Khalil a special correspondent.