Karbala suicide attacks jolts untested foreign soldiers.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Evan Osnos

KARBALA, Iraq _ Three months after Polish, Bulgarian and Thai forces inherited control of this once-quiet city from U.S. forces, a weekend attack has shattered Karbala's peaceful reputation and posed sudden demands on largely untested troops.

Foreign commanders and Karbala residents said Saturday's attack _ which killed 19 and injured at least 135 in the most sophisticated assault on coalition troops in months _ hints of deeper problems in a patch of the country that had provided the U.S.-led coalition with a success story.

"The electricity system is totally collapsed and the fuel supply is broken and I don't have control over that, and it creates great tension," said Polish Brig. Gen. Marek Ojrzanowski, the commander in charge of the holy Shiite city of Karbala. Ojrzanowski, who commands the 1,300 Bulgarian and Polish troops in neighboring Karbala and Babyl provinces, said it …