CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq has released an Internet statement claiming responsibility for an attack in Anbar province that killed more than 20 people, including three U.S. Marines.
The Islamic State of Iraq made the claim in a statement posted on a militant Web site Saturday. It says a militant wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in the middle of a a gathering of the “heads of apostasy” a reference to U.S.-backed Sunni tribal leaders.
The statement, which could not be immediately verified, did not specifically mention the three Marines killed. On Thursday, a suicide bomber dressed in a police uniform attacked a meeting of tribal sheiks west of Baghdad. One of the Americans killed was the commander of Marines in the area.