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ROCKET ATTACK KILLS 10 PEOPLE IN BAGHDAD

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 35 minutes ago BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two rockets slammed into a Shiite enclave in southern Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 10 people, and two people died in an explosion near the heavily protected Green Zone, police said. The attacks came following an exchange of artillery and mortar fire between U.S. troops and suspected Sunni insurgents south of the capital — where a major security operation launched earlier this month has tried to cripple militant factions and sectarian killings. The Katyusha rockets hit Abu Dishir, a Shiite area surrounded Sunni neighborhood, during the busy morning shopping hours. Earlier, a bomb exploded near the edge of the fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. and British embassies and key Iraqi government offices. The blast was about 100 yards from the Iranian Embassy, but authorities did not believe it was targeting the compound. Iraq's interior ministry, meanwhile, raised the toll from a suicide truck bombing in the violence-wracked Anbar province on Saturday to 40 dead and 65 injured. The attack on worshippers leaving a mosque in Habbaniyah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, was believed linked to escalating internal Sunni battles between insurgents and those who oppose them. U.S. military envoys and pro-government leaders have worked hard to sway clan chiefs and other influential Anbar figures to turn against the militants, who include foreign jihadists fighting under the banner of al-Qaida in Iraq. The extremists have fought back with targeted killings and bombings against fellow Sunnis. The imam of the mosque attacked Saturday had spoken out against extremists — most recently in Friday's sermon, residents said. Many people in the neighborhood work for the Iraqi military and police forces, who frequently come under militant attack. "There is no safe shelter for all outlaws," said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who reported that 426 militants have been captured since the Baghdad security campaign began Feb. 14. But the crackdown also has sent Sunni insurgents fleeing the city to the nearby province of Diyala, which has emerged as a new and busy front for U.S. troops. It has become so volatile that the Pentagon may delay plans to turn over control of Diyala to the Iraqi military by the end of the year, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon told The Associated Press. "The potential is there" to hand over Iraq's other 17 provinces "except in Diyala, where the future remains in question," said Mixon, commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, which includes Diyala. Diyala, northwest of Baghdad, is known as "Little Iraq" because of its near-equal mix of Sunni and Shiite Arabs as well as Kurds — the country's three major groups. Al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Diyala last year. Sunni extremists claim Diyala's capital, Baqouba, as the seat of an Islamic state in Iraq. Direct fire attacks on U.S. soldiers are up 70 percent in Diyala since last summer, and fierce battles have raged since the Baghdad security plan was launched. "We're working our way into the Baghdad security plan, and we won't be into the thick of it until late spring or summer. I expect more violence in Diyala through then," Mixon said. ___ Associated Press writer Lauren Frayer in Tikrit contributed to this report. Email Story IM Story Printable View (What happened to the "Discuss" option?) RECOMMEND THIS STORY Recommend It: Not at All Somewhat Moderately Highly Very Highly Average (Not Rated) » Recommended Stories Full Coverage: Iraq Off the Wires US soldiers get punished for crimes in Iraq AFP, 11 minutes ago Insurgents launch attacks in Baghdad Reuters, 25 minutes ago Feature Articles Stryker team key to Iraq security plan at The Los Angeles Times (reg. req'd), Feb 24 Iraq Rebuilding Short on Qualified Civilians at The Washington Post (reg. req'd), Feb 24 News Stories Hakim complains of rough handling at BBC, Feb 24 U.S. Detains Shiite Leader's Son at The Washington Post (reg. req'd), Feb 24 Opinion & Editorials Would leaving Iraq damage U.S. standing in the world? at Chicago Sun-Times, Feb 24 Public doubts selling out Iraq at Washington Times, Feb 23 World News VP's plane has minor electrical problem AP Israeli troops raid Nablus, start curfew AP Indonesian ferry fire death toll doubles AP Report: Thousands plotting U.K. attacks AP Nationwide safety checks follow UK train crash Reuters Most Viewed - World Israeli troops raid Nablus, start curfew AP Britain abandons coastline defense AP Report: Thousands plotting U.K. attacks AP Iran launches home-made space missile: state TV Reuters Iran ready for anything in nuclear dispute Reuters World Video Streets filled with protestors in Iraq AP - Sat Feb 24, 11:42 AM ET Iraqi billions go unspent CNN - Sat Feb 24, 8:05 AM ET Deadly train accident on English countryside AP - Sat Feb 24, 7:01 AM ET Today in History for Saturday, February 24th AP - Sat Feb 24, 3:04 AM ET

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