US soldiers secure the area of a car bomb after it detonated close to the police academy on Palestine Street in central Baghdad on December 01, 2008. Ali Yussef / AFP / Getty Images (ALI YUSSEF / AFP/Getty Images)From The San Francisco Chronicle:
Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the No. 2 U.S. commander here, blamed al-Qaida in Iraq for a spate of bombings that has killed nearly 50 people in Baghdad and elsewhere since Monday. The blasts took place despite an 80 percent drop in attacks nationwide since March, Austin said.
At least 33 people were killed and dozens wounded in multiple bombings Monday against Iraqi security forces in Baghdad and Mosul. Another 15 died in blasts Tuesday in the northern cities of Mosul and Tal Afar and in the southern city of Iskandariyah.
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My Comment: Killing off or capturing the last of the dead-enders is always the most difficult job at the end of the war. Fortunately, the Iraqis themselves are assuming most of the responsibilities in these operations.