Attacks in Iraq’s Mosul, Baghdad Kill 18 People

Insurgents in Iraq have killed at least 18 people in separate attacks in the northern city of Mosul and the capital, Baghdad.

In Mosul, a suicide truck bomber smashed through the gate of an Iraqi army base Sunday and blew up the vehicle. At least 11 soldiers were killed and 40 other people were wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. U.S. commanders say Mosul is the last urban stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq.

In Baghdad, gunmen in three cars opened fire on pedestrians in a religiously mixed southern district, killing at least six people and wounding about 16.

Earlier, two waves of rockets or mortars hit Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government headquarters. No casualties were reported.

Elsewhere, the U.S. military says its forces killed 12 insurgents in a raid today in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad.

It says six of those killed had shaved their bodies in apparent preparation for suicide missions.

Baghdad’s Green Zone has long been a target of rocket and mortar attacks, which the U.S. military has blamed on Shi’ite militants it says are backed by Iran. Iran denies charges that it funds and trains Iraqi militants.

The frequency of attacks on the Green Zone had declined with a general improvement in security across Iraq since last June.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

by VOA News

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