Six U.S. troops killed west of Baghdad; bomber kills 8 policemen

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Bombing and shooting attacks west of Baghdad killed six U.S. troops, and a suicide car bomber slammed into a truck carrying Iraqi policemen near the airport Thursday, killing at least eight and wounding 25 — the latest wave of violence aimed at derailing Iraq's advancing political process.

The attacks came as Shiite politicians completed efforts to include the disaffected Sunni Arab minority in the work of drafting Iraq's new constitution. Senior members of the Shiite-dominated committee writing the charter reached agreement with the Sunnis on how many representatives the minority will have on the body.

Thursday's deal broke weeks of deadlock between the 55-member committee and Sunni Arabs over the size of their representation. The stalemate had threatened Iraq's political process as it was about to enter its final stretch, with two key nationwide votes later this year — a constitutional referendum and a general election.

Insurgents have used that time to carry out a series of attacks, killing nearly 1,100 people since the Shiite-led government took office April 28.

A U.S. general blamed Jordanian-born terrorist leader Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi for the "fantastic rise" in the number of civilian deaths since then.

"With Zarqawi's push recently, we certainly see the fantastic rise in the number of civilians killed, given that he has proclaimed that taking out civilians is an acceptable thing," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Don Alston, spokesman for the Multinational Force in Iraq.

Last month, an audiotape said to be from al-Zarqawi — leader of al-Qaida in Iraq — denounced the country's Shiites as collaborators with the Americans and justified the deaths of fellow Muslims.

Al-Zarqawi's group has claimed responsibility for suicide bombings, beheadings and attacks targeting coalition forces. The United States has offered a $25 million reward for his capture — the same amount as for Osama bin Laden.

Alston also said U.S. forces arrested the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq's Mosul branch — a man considered a top aide to al-Zarqawi. Mohammed Khalaf, also known as Abu Talha, was arrested Tuesday after U.S. forces received a number of tips, Alston said.

"Talha was one of al-Zarqawi's most trusted operation agents in Iraq. This is a major defeat for al-Qaida terrorist organization in Iraq," Alston said.

The general also said the Syrian border is the "worst problem" in terms of stemming the influx of foreign fighters to Iraq. Syria is under intense pressure from Washington and Baghdad to tighten control of its porous 380-mile border with Iraq.