An Iraqi National Guard patrol was hit Thursday by a car bomb in central Iraq, killing at least three people, Iraqi officials said. An officer in the National Guard, who declined to give his name, said four guardsmen were seriously injured in the attack in Iskandariyah, an insurgent hot spot 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Baghdad. Dr. Abdel Razaq al-Janabi, director of Iskandiriyah Hospital, said three people had been killed and a total of 15 others injured, including the guardsmen. Some 800 British troops have been redeployed to that area south of the capital to take over security responsibilities from U.S. troops who are being moved to prepare for a mass assault on the main insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
