A massive suicide bomb killed at least 18 Italians and eight Iraqis in southern Iraq, the worst attack yet on coalition forces, as Washington turned up the heat on Iraq’s Governing Council to take on a greater role in governing the increasingly chaotic country. In Rome, the defense ministry said 12 Italian carabinieri policemen were killed, along with four soldiers and two civilians, in the attack on a police base in Nasiriyah, 380 kilometres (230 miles) southeast of the capital. In what was the greatest Italian military loss since World War II, another 20 Italians were wounded, as well as 59 Iraqis. “Two trucks loaded with explosives blew up simultaneously at the base, setting the military ammunition depot on fire,” Italian embassy political counsellor Marina Catena told AFP. An Iraqi police officer at the scene told AFP two suicide bombers drove a tanker lorry into an Italian police base at 10:50 am (0750 GMT). Full Story
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