Suicide Bomber Kills 21 in Iraq; 3 GIs Die

A suicide car bomber killed 21 people in northern Iraq on Tuesday after insurgents lured police to the scene by shooting an officer, officials said. The U.S. command said three more U.S. soldiers have been killed, pushing the American military death toll for the conflict to 2,100.

Elsewhere, insurgents fired a mortar shell at a U.S. ceremony transferring one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Tikrit to Iraqi control. The shell failed to explode but sent the U.S. ambassador, the top American commander and robed tribal sheiks scurrying for cover as the round whistled overhead.

The suicide bomber struck on a busy commercial street in Kirkuk, a mixed Arab, Kurdish and Turkoman city in an oil-producing region 180 miles north of Baghdad. About half the dead were police who rushed to the scene after gunmen killed a fellow officer.

In addition to the 21 dead, another 24 people were wounded, according to police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qader.

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U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 2095 Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 2 Total 2097

Most Recent Confirmed:
Army Staff Sgt James Estep/26/Leesburg, Florida
Army Pfc Travis Grigg/24/Inola, Okla
Army Spc Mathew J. Holley/21/San Diego, CA
Army Sgt 1st Class James S. Ochsner/36/Waukegan, Ill
Marine Sgt Jeremy Murray/27/Atwater, OH
Army Staff Sgt Ivan V. Alarcon/23/Jerome, Idaho
Army Spc Vernon R. Widner/34/Redlands/CA
Army Sgt Luis R. Reyes/26/Aurora, Col
Army Pfc Anthony A. Gaunky/19/Sparta, Wis
Army Master Sgt Anthony R. C. Yost/39/Flint, Mich
Army Pvt Christopher M. Alcozer/21/DeKalb, Ill
Marine Lance Corp Tyler J. Troyer/21/Tangent, Ore
Army Sgt Dominic Sacco/32/Albany, NY

ENTIRE LIST OF CONFIRMED DEAD