Iraqi insurgents launched a coordinated attack on a joint U.S.-Iraqi combat outpost north of Baghdad, an area primarily occupied by Sunni Arabs. The strike, in which a suicide bomber drove a fuel tanker, killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded 17 others. It ranks as one of the largest insurgent operations in recent months.
The military has known from the start that there would be risks involved in the new strategy of increasing the numbers of combat outposts rather than relying solely on well-protected bases. The advantage of the outposts is that soldiers can stem an outbreak of trouble quickly. But it also leaves them vulnerable to planned attacks.
Also on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for an investigation into allegations by a Sunni woman that she was raped by Shiite security forces.
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