Civilians treated for gas exposure after Iraq bombings

Multiple suicide bombings struck areas in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Anbar province, and about 350 Iraqi civilians and six US troops had to be treated for exposure to chlorine gas, the military said today.At least two policemen also were killed in the attacks.

The violence started just after 4pm Friday when a driver detonated the explosives in a pickup truck northeast of Ramadi, wounding one US service member and one Iraqi civilian, the military said in a statement.

That was followed by a similar explosion involving a dump truck south of Fallujah in Amiriyah that killed two policemen and left as many as 100 local citizens showing signs of chlorine exposure, with symptoms ranging from minor skin and lung irritations to vomiting, the military said.

Another suicide bomber detonated a dump truck containing a 200 gallon chlorine tank rigged with explosives at 7.13pm, also south of Fallujah in the Albu Issa tribal region, the military said.

US forces responded to the attack and found about 250 local civilians, including seven children, suffering from symptoms related to chlorine exposure, according to the statement.

Suicide car bombers have used chlorine against Iraqis in Anbar a total of five times since January 28, it said.