1 Us Soldier Killed 1 Wounded By

1 US Soldier Killed, 1 Wounded, by Roadside Bomb; Kurdish toll rises to 100

BAGHDAD, Feb. 3 (Xinhuanet) — “A US soldier was killed and another injured on Tuesday by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the US military said in a statement. The roadside bomb exploded at about 10.30 a.m. (0730 GMT) when the US soldiers were carrying out an operation to clear such weapons near Iskandariya, 56 km south Baghdad, it added. The death brings to at least 367 the number of US soldiers killed in combat in Iraq since the start of the US-led war on Iraq.”

Despite the capture of Saddam, more US troops were killed in January (47) than in December.

Meanwhile, the deaths from Sunday’s massive suicide bombings in Irbil have mounted to about 101, as those gravely wounded have died. Kurds are shocked and angry, and the outcome of the tragedy has yet to unfold. Jeffrey Gettelman of the NYT cannily suggests, based on an interview with Joost Hilterman, that some of the high Iraqi officials killed were among the more pragmatic in recognizing the need for restraint in demands for Kurdish autonomy. If so, the bombing may have helped radicalize the Kurds.