Five U.S. soldiers killed in truck bombing in Iraq's Mosul

 2009-04-10 20:32:31  

    BAGHDAD, April 10 (Xinhua)--

At least eight people including five U.S. soldiers were killed and 60 others were injured in a suicide truck bombing in the northern city of Mosul, according to U.S. military and Iraqi source.

    A suicide truck bomber detonated bomb in front of a police station in the southern part of the city and most of the victims are policemen, according to the source.

    The main building of the police station and some nearby buildings in the neighborhood were severely damaged by the explosion, the source added.

    A sixth U.S. soldier was also injured in the blast and two suspects have been arrested, U.S. military said in a statement.

    According to an Iraqi Interior Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity, at least 20 Iraqi policemen were injured in the bombing.

    The attack is the largest single loss of American life recently seen in Iraq. Four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpret were killed in a suicide car bombing in Mosul in February in the last major attack on U.S. forces in Iraq.

    Mosul is the capital city of Nineveh province which widely seen as one of the last strongholds of al-Qaida in Iraq.

    In two separate attacks earlier Friday, at least two people were killed, 15 others injured in two bombings in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, according to the police.

    Two people, including a woman, were killed when a civilian car was damaged by a roadside bomb in al-Mansorea district, about 35 km east of Baqubah, the capital city of Diyala province. Five others were also injured in the bombing, according to the source.

    Despite security improvements, attacks continue across Iraq. Dozens of people were killed in a series of bombings in Baghdad this week, raising fears of al-Qaida and other threat groups are trying to stage a comeback.

Suicide truck bomb kills two in Iraq's Mosul

2009-04-10 20:27:44  

    BAGHDAD, April 10 (Xinhua) --

At least two policemen were killed and 20 others injured Friday in a suicide truck bombing in the northern city of Mosul, said an Iraqi Interior Ministry.

    A suicide truck bomber detonated bomb in front of a police station in the southern part of the city and most of the victims are policemen, according to the source.

    The main building of the police station and some nearby buildings in the neighborhood were severely damaged by the explosion, the source added.

    In the same day, at least two people were killed, 15 others injured during two separate attacks earlier in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, according to the police.

    Despite security improvements, attacks continue across Iraq. Dozens of people were killed in a series of bombings in Baghdad this week, raising fears of al-Qaida and other threat groups are trying to stage a comeback.

Editor: Fang Yang

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Woman killed, daughter wounded in Mosul blast

April 10, 2009 - 04:02:31

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

A woman was killed and her daughter wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in eastern Mosul city on Friday, a Ninewa police source said.

“The IED, which went off on a main street in al-Zahraa neighborhood, eastern Mosul, did not target any military patrols,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The source did not give further details.

Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.

AmR (P)

5 U.S. soldiers killed, 1 wounded in car bomb attack in Mosul

April 10, 2009 - 02:42:56

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Five U.S. Coalition Soldiers were killed, and one wounded from a suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device attack earlier today in Mosul, according to a U.S. army statement on Friday.

“Two Iraqi Security Forces were also killed and 20 others wounded in the blast that occurred Friday,” read the statement as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The suicide truck bomb exploded near the Iraqi National Police headquarters in the southwest section of the city,” it added.

“At least two individuals suspected of being involved in the attack were detained, and the incident is under investigation,” the U.S. statement noted.

Earlier, a Ninewa police source had told Aswat al-Iraq that an explosive truck driven by a suicide bomber went off near a police station in southern Mosul, killing one Iraqi policeman and one Iraqi soldier and wounding 46 other army and police personnel. He did not refer to any U.S. army casualties.

The announced deaths bring to eight the number of U.S. fatalities in April and to 4271 the total number since the beginning of combat operations in Iraq in April 2003.

March 2009 saw a record lowest number of U.S. deaths – nine, including five who died of non-combat causes.

A total of 486 U.S. troops were killed in 2003.

AmR (S)

Recent elections candidate gunned down in Mosul

April 10, 2009 - 01:55:52

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

A candidate in the recent local elections was shot down by unidentified gunmen fire in northeastern Mosul on Friday, a source from the Ninewa police department said.

“Unknown gunmen opened a volley of fire at Dhafer Al-Jameel, a member of the Political Council for National Powers (PCNP) party’s list, in front of his house in al-Zohour neighborhood, northeastern Mosul, killing him instantly,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The PCNP, numbered 198 during the provincial council elections held in late January 2009, has not won a single seat.

Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.

AmR (P)

Roadside bomb leaves 5 casualties in Muqdadiya

April 10, 2009 - 08:06:09

DIALA / Aswat al-Iraq:

A man and a woman were killed and three others were wounded Friday in a roadside bomb explosion targeting their vehicle in southeast of Baaquba, a police source said.

“An explosive charge went off on Friday (April 10) targeting a civilian vehicle in the main road in al-Mansouriya district in Muqdadiya, southeast of Baaquba, killing a man and his wife and injuring three others, from the same family,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Baaquba, the capital of Diala, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

SH (P)

Bomb targets Iraqi army in Basra – advisor

April 10, 2009 - 07:54:20

BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq:

The bomb which went off in Basra on Thursday targeted the Iraqi army not the Multinational forces, the media advisor of the U.S. forces said on Friday.

“An explosive charge went off on Thursday (April 9) targeting an Iraqi army vehicle patrol in Basra,” al-Muqdad Jebreel told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He denied any attack against the Multinational forces in the region yesterday.

A source from Basra Operations Room had said Thursday a roadside bomb went off targeting a Multi-National Forces (MNF) patrol in Iraq’s southern city of Basra, without causing any damages or casualties.

“The incident took place while the patrol was en-route to its base at Basra International Airport,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The oil-rich city of Basra lies 590 km south of Baghdad.

SH (P)

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 Arrests:

21 arrested in Basra

April 10, 2009 - 04:38:25

BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Twenty-one men wanted on “terrorist and criminal” charges were arrested and an amount of munitions seized during a security operation conducted in different areas of Basra, a local police source said.

“The Basra police department personnel conducted a search in several areas of Basra, capturing 21 wanted on terrorist and criminal scores and 10 suspects others and seized munitions of light arms,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He did not give more details.

The oil-rich predominantly-Shiite port city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

AmR (P)

Joint forces arrest 9 wanted men north of Hilla

April 10, 2009 - 12:45:02

BABEL / Aswat al-Iraq:

Joint Iraqi-U.S. forces on Friday arrested nine wanted men during a security operation in north of Hilla, a police source said.

“Iraqi police and army forces, backed by U.S. troops, waged a crackdown operation in al-Resala neighborhood in Jabla district, north of Hilla, where they arrested nine wanted men,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

He gave no more details.

Hilla, the capital of Babel, is located 100 km south of Baghdad.

SH (P)

Mosul blast toll up to 48

April 10, 2009 - 12:11:55

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Casualties from the suicide truck bomb explosion that ripped through southern Mosul rose to two dead and 46 wounded, a police source said.

“An Iraqi soldier and a policeman were killed and 46 were wounded in the suicide truck bomb attack in southern Mosul on Friday (April 10),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The explosion caused severe material damage to the police station’s building,” he added.

A police source had said earlier that a suicide bomber blew up a truck crammed with explosives on Friday (April 10) targeting a police station near al-Ghazlani camp in Dourat Baghdad region in southern Mosul, killing a soldier and inuring 20, including a number of policemen.

“The explosion jolted Mosul city,” eyewitnesses said.

Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.

SH (P)