RAMADI, Iraq: Twin attacks in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Wednesday killed 23 people and wounded 30, including the governor of Anbar province, the city's main hospital said.

The first attack struck near a security checkpoint at a road junction leading to the governorate offices in the centre of the Anbar provincial capital at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT).

A separate bombing 30 minutes later at the entrance to the governorate building some 200 metres (yards) away hit the convoy of governor Qassim Mohammed Abid as it was leaving, wounding him.

“The latest toll is 23 dead and 30 wounded,” said a doctor at Ramadi General Hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The governor is wounded. American forces came and took him for more treatment.” The US military did not immediately confirm that its troops took Abid to a US-run hospital when contacted by AFP.

A source at the hospital said that, after the first attack took place near the provincial headquarters, the governor came out from his office to inspect the damage. It was then that the second attacker struck.

One of the attackers was a man working as a bodyguard for the governor, Al Iraqiya state television reported. Police said that governor Mohammed seemed to be the target of at least one of the attacks.

Wednesday's attacks mirrored coordinated bombings in Ramadi on October 11, when 19 people were killed and more than 80 wounded.

At the time, a bomb went off at midday (0900 GMT) close to the offices of the provincial governor in a civilian car park, speeding the arrival of firemen and police.

A second car bomb then exploded, leading police to seal off the area, which was littered with body parts.

Shortly afterwards at Ramadi General Hospital, where victims had been rushed for treatment, a suicide bomber struck.

Ramadi, 100 kilometres (65 miles) west of Baghdad, was a key insurgent base in the aftermath of the US-led invasion of 2003.

Anbar, Iraq's biggest province, became the theatre of a brutal war focused on the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, while several towns along the Euphrates river valley became insurgent strongholds and later safe havens for fighters.

But since 2006, local Sunni tribes have sided with the US military. Daily violence has dropped dramatically as Al-Qaeda fighters have been ejected from the region.

Although attacks have dropped markedly across the country compared to last year, violence remains high by international standards.

And while November saw the fewest deaths as a result of violence of any month since the invasion, December has seen higher death tolls, notably as a result of December 8 bombings in Baghdad that killed 127 people. –AgenciesLINK

WASHINGTON: The United States has members of its intelligence services in Pakistan but it has no troops, US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke said on Tuesday.

‘We have members of our intelligence services in every country in the world,’ Mr Holbrooke told PBS Television when asked if the United States had troops in Pakistan.

‘No members of the American military or CIA are in Pakistan, is that what you’re saying?’ he was asked.

‘I only said there are no American troops in Pakistan,’ said Mr Holbrooke.

The interviewer — Charlie Rose — then asked: ‘So there may be CIA people and special operations people?’

Mr Holbrooke responded by confirming that the US had members of its intelligence services in every country in the world and then quickly added: ‘But this is not a replay of another war (Vietnam) and another part of the world 50 years ago or 40 years ago. We are not doing what you’re alluded to.’

Earlier on Tuesday, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that US Special Forces have conducted multiple clandestine raids as part of a secret war inside Pakistan’s tribal areas where Washington is pressing to expand its drone attacks.

In his interview to PBS, Mr Holbrooke not only owned US drone attacks but also said that they had played a key role in eliminating Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

When asked how he would evaluate using drones in Pakistan with the risk of civilian casualties, Mr Holbrooke reminded the interviewer that ‘some of the most dangerous people in the world who were alive and posing the most serious threats imaginable to the United States and Pakistan at the beginning of this year are not alive today’.

Baitullah Mehsud and the director of Al Qaeda’s external operations were among those killed in the US drone attacks. The head of Al Qaeda’s external operations was killed only two weeks ago, he added.

‘These are very important moves forward. Al Qaeda has been under the most intense pressure, and we are working very closely on the Pakistanis on that,’ said Mr Holbrooke.

Asked if the Pakistanis were refusing to take on the Haqqani network, he said: ‘Let me just put it this way. We’ve had the highest level set of American visitors in Pakistan of any country in the world in the last few months.’

The people who visited Islamabad during this period included the US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Advisor James Jones, Centcom chief Gen David Petraeus and the head of the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, said Mr Holbrooke, adding that they made ‘unpublicised’ regular visits to the Pakistani capital.

‘And the sum total of impact you’ve had on the Pakistani government is what?’ he was asked.

‘To be determined. I’m not going to try to give a grade to a work in progress,’ said Mr Holbrooke.

Asked if the United States had made progress in convincing Pakistan to act against the Haqqani group, he said: ‘Yes, absolutely.’

While discussing why the Pakistani military was reluctant to go after the Haqqani group, Mr Holbrooke said: ‘If you look at the Pakistani military’s activities today and compare them with the beginning of the year, there has been a huge change.’

Operations against the militant, he noted, had also helped the military improve its image at home. ‘The Pakistani military is much more popular in Pakistan today than they were in the beginning of the year. They went back into Swat and retook it from the Taliban.

They went into South Waziristan, which is one of the hearts of the insurgency,’ he added. ‘But are they prepared to go further and go more north?’ he was asked.

‘I’m going to leave that to General Kayani and the military for several reasons — it’s their country, it’s a question of military resources, and it’s a military issue which I don’t think should be discussed in publicLINK.’

WASHINGTON: The United States has members of its intelligence services in Pakistan but it has no troops, US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke said on Tuesday.

‘We have members of our intelligence services in every country in the world,’ Mr Holbrooke told PBS Television when asked if the United States had troops in Pakistan.

‘No members of the American military or CIA are in Pakistan, is that what you’re saying?’ he was asked.

‘I only said there are no American troops in Pakistan,’ said Mr Holbrooke.

The interviewer — Charlie Rose — then asked: ‘So there may be CIA people and special operations people?’

Mr Holbrooke responded by confirming that the US had members of its intelligence services in every country in the world and then quickly added: ‘But this is not a replay of another war (Vietnam) and another part of the world 50 years ago or 40 years ago. We are not doing what you’re alluded to.’

Earlier on Tuesday, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that US Special Forces have conducted multiple clandestine raids as part of a secret war inside Pakistan’s tribal areas where Washington is pressing to expand its drone attacks.

In his interview to PBS, Mr Holbrooke not only owned US drone attacks but also said that they had played a key role in eliminating Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

When asked how he would evaluate using drones in Pakistan with the risk of civilian casualties, Mr Holbrooke reminded the interviewer that ‘some of the most dangerous people in the world who were alive and posing the most serious threats imaginable to the United States and Pakistan at the beginning of this year are not alive today’.

Baitullah Mehsud and the director of Al Qaeda’s external operations were among those killed in the US drone attacks. The head of Al Qaeda’s external operations was killed only two weeks ago, he added.

‘These are very important moves forward. Al Qaeda has been under the most intense pressure, and we are working very closely on the Pakistanis on that,’ said Mr Holbrooke.

Asked if the Pakistanis were refusing to take on the Haqqani network, he said: ‘Let me just put it this way. We’ve had the highest level set of American visitors in Pakistan of any country in the world in the last few months.’

The people who visited Islamabad during this period included the US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Advisor James Jones, Centcom chief Gen David Petraeus and the head of the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, said Mr Holbrooke, adding that they made ‘unpublicised’ regular visits to the Pakistani capital.

‘And the sum total of impact you’ve had on the Pakistani government is what?’ he was asked.

‘To be determined. I’m not going to try to give a grade to a work in progress,’ said Mr Holbrooke.

Asked if the United States had made progress in convincing Pakistan to act against the Haqqani group, he said: ‘Yes, absolutely.’

While discussing why the Pakistani military was reluctant to go after the Haqqani group, Mr Holbrooke said: ‘If you look at the Pakistani military’s activities today and compare them with the beginning of the year, there has been a huge change.’

Operations against the militant, he noted, had also helped the military improve its image at home. ‘The Pakistani military is much more popular in Pakistan today than they were in the beginning of the year. They went back into Swat and retook it from the Taliban.

They went into South Waziristan, which is one of the hearts of the insurgency,’ he added.
‘But are they prepared to go further and go more north?’ he was asked.

‘I’m going to leave that to General Kayani and the military for several reasons — it’s their country, it’s a question of military resources, and it’s a military issue which I don’t think should be discussed in public.LINK’