U.S.: Airstrike kills al-Qaida operative in Iraq

Tribal clashes are increasing as well. From MSNBC:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military said its forces killed an al-Qaida operative they named as Abu Islam and a number of fighters in air strikes at Karabila, close to Qaim, on the Syrian border on Tuesday.

"Intelligence leads Coalition forces to believe that Abu Islam and several of his associates were killed in the airstrike," a spokeswoman in Baghdad told Reuters.

Earlier, hospital officials told the Associated Press that fighting had broken out along the border between pro and anti-government tribes, leaving at least 35 people dead from both sides.

The outcome could affect the ease with which foreign extremists move in and out of the border area.

The clashes between the pro-government Bumahl tribe and the pro-insurgent Karabila tribe began after 2 a.m., in Qaim, said the officials at the Qaim General Hospital who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of insurgents...

Qaim, 200 miles west of Baghdad, witnesses clashes between the two tribes in the past days that left several people killed and wounded.