Car Bomber in Iraq Kills 1, Wounds 38

BAGHDAD – An attacker targeting an American convoy detonated a car bomb Sunday near a checkpoint in the troubled northern city of Mosul, killing one Iraqi and wounding 38 others, a U.S. official said.

Mosul is considered the last urban stronghold of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and Sunday's attack comes as military operations are being conducted there before a June 30 deadline for U.S. forces to pull out of Iraq's cities.

The Iraqi government has said that deadline will not be extended, despite concerns by American military commanders that Iraqi forces may not be ready to take on security for Mosul.

Violence in Iraq has dropped dramatically, but high-profile attacks continue to plague its cities.

Iraqi military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, insisted Iraq's security forces are up to the task.

"We are confident that Iraqi security forces are able to eliminate the remaining terrorist groups despite desperate acts by them to destabilize the situation," he told reporters during a joint U.S.-Iraqi briefing in Baghdad.

Maj. Gen. David Perkins, a U.S. military spokesman, said the two sides were still working out the details of the June 30 withdrawal, but said some U.S. noncombat personnel would remain inside Iraq's cities.

"It is justified to be concerned because, historically, transition has been a vulnerable period," he said.

Perkins said the two sides were working closely to try to minimize attacks during the transition.

President Barack Obama has announced the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops by Aug. 31, 2010, leaving 30,000 to 50,000 troops in advisory roles. Those remaining troops must leave Iraq by the end of 2011.

Despite numerous U.S.-Iraqi military operations, Sunni insurgents remain active in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, and in Diyala province south of Mosul.

Lt. Col. David Doherty, a military spokesman, said initial reports showed 38 people were injured and one other was killed in Sunday's suicide bombing. He said there were no reports of American casualties.

An Iraqi official said 34 civilians were wounded and no one was killed. Conflicting casualty numbers are common in Iraq in the aftermath of an attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Also Sunday, the Iraqi defense minister said the criminal court would investigate a U.S. raid in Kut in April that ended with at least one woman dead.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the raid a violation of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact, which requires American troops to have Iraqi approval for any raids conducted in the country. The U.S. military denied it overstepped its bounds and said it notified Iraqi authorities in advance.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi trade minister, who is mired in a corruption scandal, will face a no-confidence vote by parliament, said Sabah al-Saedi, the chairman of the parliamentary integrity committee.

Trade Minister Falah al-Sudani appeared before parliament earlier this month to respond to corruption allegations against several senior ministry officials and two of his brothers who serve as security guards.

Al-Saedi has accused the minister's two brothers of skimming off at least $40 million in kickbacks on imports.