BAGHDAD, May 9: The US military said on Monday it had killed 75 guerillas in a new offensive in western Iraq, striking back after attacks that killed 10 American troops, two US civilians and dozens of Iraqis at the weekend. One of Iraq’s most feared guerilla groups said it had seized a Japanese citizen working in Iraq, putting further pressure on Washington’s allies.

Escalating attacks that have killed more than 300 people since a new cabinet was announced on April 28, showed no signs of easing. A suicide car bombing at a police checkpoint in southern Baghdad killed at least three people and wounded eight. Another blast targeting a police patrol killed two Iraqis and wounded a policeman.

A third attack on Iraqi soldiers at a checkpoint near the ministry of transport wounded four people. Marines, soldiers and sailors backed by aircraft launched the US offensive in Anbar. A US military statement did not say when the offensive started, but said 75 guerillas had been killed in the first 24 hours.

On a visit to Najaf, in the south, Iraq’s new Interior Minister Bayan Jabor said the authorities had captured 40 “terrorists”, including a senior one, which will be announced in the next few days.

FEDERALISM: New ministers were sworn in on Monday for the second time after the Kurds demanded another ceremony in which the word federalism, dropped from the original text, be included.—Reuters