Insurgents kill 45 ahead of Iraq referendum

INSURGENTS determined to wreck Iraq’s constitutional referendum killed nearly 45 people and wounded dozens in a series of attacks yesterday, including a suicide car bomb that ripped apart a crowded market in a town near the Syrian border, police said.

US and Iraqi officials had repeatedly warned insurgents would step up their attacks to undermine Saturday’s referendum.

In the deadliest attack in Iraq in nearly two weeks, a suicide car bomb exploded in a crowded open market in the north-western town of Tal Afar, killing 30 Iraqis and wounding 45, said Brigadier Najim Abdullah, Tal Afar’s police chief.

He said all the victims appeared to be civilians.

Insurgents also used two suicide car bombs, three roadside bombs and four drive-by shootings in the capital yesterday to kill a total of 14 Iraqis and wound 29, police said.

The violence came four days ahead of Iraq’s key vote on the new draft constitution, which Kurds and the majority Shi’ites largely support and the Sunni Arab minority rejects.

Sunnis are campaigning to defeat the charter at the polls, though officials from all sides have been trying up to the last minute to decide on changes to the constitution to swing Sunni support.

Whether the constitution passes or fails, Iraq is due to hold elections for a new parliament on December 15.

In another development, Iraq has issued arrest warrants against the defence minister and 27 other officials from former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s US-backed government over the alleged disappearance or misappropriation of $1 billion dollars in military procurement funds, officials said.