U.S. prepares for rise in pre-election attacks

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By Associated Press

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq | The second-ranking U.S. commander in Iraq said Wednesday he is preparing for the possibility that insurgents will try to spoil Iraq's parliamentary elections this fall by stepping up violence.

Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III provided no details on how coalition and Iraqi forces will approach the security challenge as voter registration proceeds this summer and polling stations are opened. Voting in all 18 provinces is intended to be held in October, but some people believe it probably will slip into November.

In an interview with three American reporters at the main U.S. military headquarters on this dusty compound just west of Baghdad, Lt. Gen. Austin was asked if he expected a spurt in pre-election violence. That is what happened in previous balloting periods in Iraq during the five-year American occupation.

"That's certainly one of the things that we feel could happen," he said. "And it certainly is one of the things we take into account as we do our planning and as you talk about what type of forces you need."

Before earlier elections, the U.S. added forces; that appears unlikely this time. There now are 145,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Gen. Austin spoke optimistically about the Iraqi security forces' growing capability. He said successful security operations by the Iraqi forces in the southern cities of Basra and Amarah recently largely account for a decline in rocket and mortar attacks by Iranian-sponsored militia elements.

In Washington, the U.S. general who led efforts to train Iraq's army and police units said progress is mixed and long-term U.S. help is needed.

Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik said Iraq's security forces have grown from 444,000 to 566,000 since he assumed command of the Multi-National Security Transition Command in June 2007 and are better able to execute operations on their own.

But the fast-growing force still lacks experienced leaders and the ability to train all its new recruits, Gen. Dubik told the House Armed Services Committee.

Meanwhile, bombs killed 13 people, including four Iraqi policemen, in Iraq on Wednesday as military officials released data showing attacks have dropped sharply over the past year.

A suicide car bomber targeted a military convoy carrying a senior Iraqi commander in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi military said. Eight civilians were killed and 41 people were injured, including seven of the commander's guards. Lt. Gen. Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, chief of operations in Ninevah province, escaped unharmed.