Roadside blast kills 3 Americans in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) — A roadside bomb blasted a U.S. convoy west of Baghdad, killing three Americans, including a State Department reconstruction official who had been a prominent figure in Illinois politics, U.S. authorities said Tuesday.

The attack occurred Monday on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah, which used to be the main stronghold of Sunni insurgents until U.S. troops overran the city in November 2004, in the most bitter urban fighting of the Iraq war.

Since then, Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad in Anbar province, has been among the most heavily guarded cities in Iraq. A fatal attack in such an area illustrates the resilience of the insurgents despite major setbacks on the battlefield during the past two years.

Those killed in the blast included Terrence “Terry” Barnich, 56, deputy director of the State Department office that oversees U.S. reconstruction projects in Iraq, as well as a U.S. soldier and a Defense Department employee working for the U.S. Embassy, according to a U.S. statement.

Two other people were wounded, the U.S. said. None of the victims except Barnich was identified.

“We and all who are working for a brighter future for Iraq condemn this terrible attack in the strongest possible terms,” U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill said in a statement. “We remain committed as ever to helping Iraqis achieve the peace, stability and prosperity that will make such acts of terror a thing of the past.”

At least four U.S. civilians have been killed in Iraq since Friday, when a defense contractor died in a rocket or mortar attack near the U.S. Embassy and another was found stabbed in his car. No arrests have been announced in the stabbing.

Barnich’s sister, Rochelle Barnich, described her brother as a person with a great sense of humor who had been fascinated with politics since they were children. Barnich’s family was notified of his death Monday.

Barnich served as chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission from 1989 to 1992. He also worked as chief counsel to former Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson and as a campaign manager for Republican candidate Judy Baar Topinka when she ran for governor in 2006.