The death toll from yesterday’s suicide bombing in Nasiriyah has risen to 31 including at least 18 Italians. It was the deadliest attack against a U.S. ally since the invasion began and it marked Italy’s worst military combat loss since World War II. Following the attack, Japan announced that it would not send troops to Iraq until next year due to the security situation.

The Washington Post reports that some top U.S. commanders see the recent string of attacks as a possible sign that this wave of guerilla warfare was planned ahead of time by Saddam Hussein.