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Iraqi insurgent claims group is making rockets

A top Iraqi insurgent leader claimed in an audiotape posted online yesterday that his al-Qaeda-linked group had begun manufacturing its own rockets.

The voice was said to be that of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq. The tape was posted on an Islamic Web site frequently used by militant groups, but its authenticity could not be independently verified.

The rockets -- called al-Quds-1, or Jerusalem-1 -- "have moved into the phase of military production with an advanced degree of range and accuracy," al-Baghdadi said, without elaborating.

Insurgents in Iraq have used a range of Soviet-era rockets like Katyushas, and shoulder-fired ground-to-air Sam-7 missiles -- most of which were looted from Saddam Hussein's massive depots in the lawless days and weeks that followed the collapse of his regime. Recently, the US has accused Iran of funneling Iranian-made weapons to insurgents in Iraq -- mostly to Shiite militias but to some Sunnis as well.

Hundreds of residents of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, crowded into a huge tent erected Tuesday in front of the governor's office for the start of a three-day sit-in to demand the official's resignation.

"This governor is a hypocrite. We want him to come out!" the angry mob shouted. "We demand the Basra governor resign," read a banner hung from the tent. Governor Mohammed al-Waili was not believed to be in the building.

The peaceful sit-in came a day after thousands of people paraded from a downtown mosque to al-Waili's office in a demonstration that defied orders from Baghdad officials. Residents of Basra, 550km southeast of Baghdad, have long complained of poor city services -- garbage pickup, water and electricity.

But demands for al-Waili's ouster were thought to be political as well. He is a member of a rival Shiite faction to that of Muqtada al-Sadr, the rebellious but extremely popular cleric that commands tremendous influence over Iraq's majority Shiites.

A dump truck overturned north of Baghdad, revealing a payload of nitric acid and explosives en route to attack a joint US-Iraqi security station, the US military said yesterday.

The botched attack occurred on Monday in Mashahda, 40km north of the capital.

After the truck tipped over, US troops approached truck driver to help, and found the vehicle loaded with nitric acid containers and explosives, the military said in a statement. The driver remained in US custody, for further questioning.
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