This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6075682.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Iraq police bus attack kills 13 Iraq police bus attack kills 13
(20 minutes later)
At least 13 police recruits have been killed in an attack on two buses near the northern Iraqi city of Baquba, local sources say. At least 13 police recruits have been killed in an attack on two buses near the northern Iraqi city of Baquba.
The buses, transporting 80 volunteers, came under attack from insurgents near the town of Muradiya, Diyala province.The buses, transporting 80 volunteers, came under attack from insurgents near the town of Muradiya, Diyala province.
A roadside bomb killed one recruit and another 12 were killed by small-arms fire. At least 24 were hurt. A roadside bomb killed one recruit and 12 died in small-arms fire. About 24 were injured and a number abducted.
Scores of Iraqis die on a daily basis, much of it in violence between the Shia and Sunni Muslim communities. The attack comes as Iraq sees a surge of violence and in the wake of remarks by a senior US official who said the US had shown "arrogance and stupidity".
Alberto Fernandez - director of public diplomacy in the state department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs - made the remarks during an interview with Arabic television station al-Jazeera.
The White House later said he was quoted incorrectly.
Mixed population
A police source told the BBC Baghdad bureau that US troops investigating the scene found the bodies had been booby-trapped.A police source told the BBC Baghdad bureau that US troops investigating the scene found the bodies had been booby-trapped.
The volunteers had joined the police from the Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, the source said.The volunteers had joined the police from the Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, the source said.
I think there is great room for strong criticism, because without doubt, there was arrogance and stupidity by the United States in Iraq Alberto Fernandez US 'arrogant and stupid'
They were evacuating their base in Diyala after sustaining repeated mortar and rocket attacks.They were evacuating their base in Diyala after sustaining repeated mortar and rocket attacks.
Baquba, 65km (40 miles) north of Baghdad and a mixed Sunni-Shia area, has been the scene of large-scale sectarian bloodshed.
A three-day curfew has been imposed over the city, police sources told AFP news agency.
US shift?
The Iraqi government and US forces see the training of an independent, effective police force as crucial to the future of the country.
As a result insurgents have often targeted recruits.
On Saturday, US President George W Bush discussed changing tactics with top US commanders to try to combat the unrest.
HAVE YOUR SAY The coalition should stay in Iraq. We owe the people that much Mark, New Zealand Send us your comments
But Alberto Fernandez, an Arabic speaker, told Qatar-based al-Jazeera that the world was "witnessing failure in Iraq".
"That's not the failure of the United States alone, but it is a disaster for the region," he said.
"I think there is great room for strong criticism, because without doubt, there was arrogance and stupidity by the United States in Iraq."
He also said that the US was now willing to speak to any insurgent group except al-Qaeda in an effort to reduce sectarian bloodshed in Iraq.
However, state department spokesman Sean McCormack said: "What he [Alberto Fernandez] says is that it is not an accurate quote."
Mr McCormack also denied that the US had been guilty of arrogance or stupidity saying that history would be the judge of US actions in Iraq.
A new poll suggests two-thirds of Americans believe the US is losing the war in Iraq, a proportion which analysts says could translate into a drubbing at the polls for Mr Bush's Republican Party in next month's mid-term elections.
The BBC's James Westhead in Washington says that while there is no official change in US strategy, change is on everyone's lips.