Iraqi officials: 22 killed in Baghdad suicide bomb

[April 23, 2009]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- A suicide bomber blew himself up among a group of Iraqis collecting humanitarian aid Thursday in a mainly Shiite area in Baghdad, killing at least 22 people, the Iraqi military said.

The attack was the latest in a series of high-profile bombings that have raised concern of an uptick in violence as the U.S. military scales back its forces ahead of a planned withdrawal by the end of 2011.

American soldiers who specialize in clearing bombs from roads boarded a plane Thursday from Iraq to the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan, part of the largest movement of personnel and equipment between the two war fronts.

Thursday's bombing occurred just after noon as Iraqi police were distributing aid parcels in the central neighborhood of Karradah, according to the office of the main Baghdad military spokesman.

Some police were among the 22 people killed and 35 other people were wounded, according the military.

Police and hospital officials gave a slight higher death toll of 26 and said women and children were among the dead. The differing numbers could not immediately be reconciled.

Violence is down sharply in Iraq but there have been several deadly bombings in the past several weeks.

The Pentagon's top Middle East adviser, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Colin Kahl, said Wednesday that insurgent attacks in Iraq will probably increase as U.S. forces start to leave, but there is no plan to delay troop departures.

President Barack Obama is deploying 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to beef up U.S. operations there.

The 4th Engineer Battalion began sending troops and equipment -- everything from giant tow trucks and bulldozers to desks and chairs -- last week.

"Our commanders have decided we're more needed in Afghanistan than we are here," said 1st Lt. Chris Selleck, one of nearly 500 soldiers with the battalion who found out weeks after arriving in Iraq that they would be redirected to Afghanistan.

"Since we are kind of at the beginning of our deployment, they decided to go ahead and ship us over there," said Selleck.

On Thursday, the transfer moved into its final stages, as soldiers loaded some of the last remaining equipment. Among the items were MRAPs -- mine-resistance patrol vehicles -- and cargo containers.

The battalion will not be replaced in Iraq, another sign of America's drawdown in Iraq.

In late March, the Fort Sill, Oklahoma-based 100th Brigade Support Battalion was moved from the giant U.S. base in Balad, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Baghdad, to southern Afghanistan.

U.S. military commanders have said the sharp decline in violence in Iraq and the increasing capabilities of Iraq's security forces made it possible to transition the soldiers.

The decline in violence also has given Iraqi leaders opportunities to focus on building sources of revenue.

A senior official overseeing oil and gas licenses in Iraq said Thursday the country will keep its late June deadline for bids to develop eight oil and gas fields.

Abdul-Mahdi al-Ameedi said the final contract details will be published later this week.

The companies have until late June to submit their offers for the 20-year service contracts, al-Ameedi said. He said the winning bids will be announced before July 1.

The service contracts mean companies are paid a flat fee instead of sharing in production revenue.

[Associated Press; By HAMID AHMED]

Associated Press Writer Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report.

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