3 American troops die in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Bombers struck in Baghdad and a northern city Thursday, killing three American soldiers and nearly two dozen Iraqis in a new spasm of violence that has taken at least 66 lives in two days.

A spate of attacks since April seems aimed at stoking sectarian tension and undermining public confidence only weeks before U.S. combat troops are due to leave Baghdad and other cities, handing security responsibility to Iraq’s security forces.

Although recent violence has not risen to levels of two years ago, it has fueled public unease over whether Iraq’s army and police can maintain the security gains since the 2007 U.S. troop surge.

Most of the attacks this year have been on Shiite targets, suggesting that al-Qaida and other Sunni Arab extremists are trying to rekindle sectarian fighting and undermine Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki within his core Shiite constituency.

Attacks have accelerated since the Shiite-led government began cracking down on Sunni paramilitary groups that abandoned the insurgency and joined forces with the U.S. to augment security.

The deadliest blast Thursday occurred in an outdoor market in Baghdad’s southern Dora district, when a bomb exploded near an American foot patrol, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

U.S. officials said three soldiers were killed and an undisclosed number of Americans were wounded. Iraqi police said 12 civilians also were killed and 25 wounded. The Iraqis spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to release the information.

Army Maj. David Shoupe said U.S. officials could not confirm Iraqi police and witness reports that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Earlier Thursday, seven Sunni paramilitaries were killed and eight wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives as they stood in line waiting to be paid at a military base in the northern city of Kirkuk, police Maj. Salam Zankana said.

Paramilitary groups, known as Awakening Councils or Sons of Iraq, have been frequently targeted by al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgent groups.

Also Thursday, a bomb exploded in a trash container inside a Baghdad police station, killing three policemen and wounding 19 others, an Iraqi police official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.