The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

Mar. 3 -- — A letter allegedly from al Qaeda denies involvement in the deadly blasts in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Karbala on Tuesday which have now killed more than 185 people, Reuters news agency reports today. The letter, signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades with "al Qaeda" in parenthesis, was sent to the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper and obtained by Reuters Wednesday. In the letter, the group blamed the attacks on the United States. Tuesday's attack represented the bloodiest day in Iraq since the U.S. ousted Saddam Hussein's regime in April.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have detained 15 people in connection with Tuesday's bomb blasts, news wires report today. A coalition official told the Associated Press that out of the 15 people who were detained in Karbala after the blasts, nine of them are in Iraqi custody. The others, being held by coalition forces, included four Farsi speakers thought to be Iranians, the official said.

THE WAR IN IRAQ

Purported Qaeda Letter Denies Role in Iraq Blasts

A letter purporting to come from Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network denied any role in Tuesday's anti-Shi'ite Muslim explosions in Iraq and blamed the attacks that killed 185 people on the United States. (Reuters)

15 Held for Attacks On Shiite Pilgrims

Fifteen people are held by Iraqi and U.S. forces for suicide attacks on Shiite pilgrims in Iraq. (AP)

220 Dead After Festival Attacks

Iraq yesterday suffered its worst day of violence since the war's end, when its majority Shia community was targeted in a series of sophisticated and simultaneous attacks that killed as many as 223 people and left its religious leaders blaming the Americans for multiple security failures. (The Guardian)

Signing of Iraq Constitution Delayed After Attack

Iraq's U.S.-backed Governing Council has said it postponed signing the country's interim constitution after devastating attacks on Shiite Muslim shrines that killed at least 170 people. (ABC Online — Australia)

Hussein Ties to Al Qaeda Appear FaultyThe administration's case on ties between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda relied on intelligence that was weaker than that on Iraq's illegal weapons programs. (Miami Herald)

'Iraq Hasn't Had WMD for Decade'

Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction since 1994, the U.N. Security Council will be told on Friday. In a blow to Tony Blair, a new U.N. weapons report will put another nail in the coffin of the Government's case for war. (The Mirror — U.K.)