Mosul suicide blast leaves 5 killed, 6 wounded

May 1, 2009 - 02:52:07

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Five civilians were killed and six others wounded in a suicide blast inside a casino in northern Mosul city on Friday, police said.

“A suicide bomber with an explosive belt attacked the al-Shiraa casino in the tourist area of Sadd al-Mosul, (40 km) northern Mosul, killing five civilians and wounding six others,” a security source from Ninewa police told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The “victims were on a tourist trip in al-Sadd area when the explosion occurred,” the source said.

Sadd al-Mosul, formerly known as Sadd Saddam, receives many tourists and visitors from Mosul and other Iraqi provinces, particularly on Fridays.

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

AmR (P)

Decayed body of young man found in Kut

May 1, 2009 - 02:39:37

WASSIT / Aswat al-Iraq:

The decomposed body of a young man was found inside his house in central al-Kut city on Friday, a security source said.

“Wassit policemen found today afternoon (May 1) the decomposed body of a young man on the roof of his house in al-Haidariya area, central Kut, upon reports from neighbors,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The body showed signs of having been shot. It decayed after remaining for a long time on the roof,” he added.

A neighbor of the dead young man said he saw the corpse while he climbed up his house roof to have his satellite dish fixed, the source said.

Kut, the capital city of Wassit province, lies 180 km southeast of Baghdad.

AmR (P)

5 policemen wounded in blast in Basra

May 1, 2009 - 01:51:49

BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Five security personnel were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in central Basra on Friday, an official security source from the city’s police said.

“The five bomb squad personnel were wounded while trying to defuse a charge planted near a fuel station in al-Muftiya, central Basra,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

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

AmR (P)

Joint forces kill cop in Tikrit

May 1, 2009 - 10:19:47

SALAH EL-DIN / Aswat al-Iraq:

Joint U.S.-Iraqi forces Friday killed a policeman and one of his relatives in central Tikrit, a police source said.

“A joint force of Iraqi and U.S. personnel raided a house in al-Zuhour neighborhood in central Tikrit on the wee small hours of Friday (May 1) and killed Emad Sulaiman, a policeman, and his cousin who is working with the Sahwa forces,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The source gave no more details.

The joint coordination center in Tikrit denied any information about the incident.

Hundreds of Tikrit residents took part in the funeral of the two victims, demanding the new local council to open investigation into the incident.

Tikrit, the capital of Salah el-Din, is 175 km north of Baghdad.

SH (P)

Gunmen kill soldier in Mosul

May 1, 2009 - 09:31:23

NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq:

Unknown gunmen killed an Iraqi soldier in eastern Mosul, according to a security source on Friday.

“Unknown armed men on Thursday night (April 30) killed a soldier near his house in al-Zahraa neighborhood in eastern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The body was sent to the morgue,” he added, without giving further details.

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

SH (P)

3 U.S. servicemen killed in Anbar

May 1, 2009 - 07:57:32

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Three U.S. soldiers were killed during combat operations in Anbar in western Iraq on Thursday, the U.S. army said in a release on Friday.

“Two Marines and one sailor were killed while conducting combat operations against enemy forces here April 30,” read the release as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The deaths bring to 4,281 the number of U.S. soldiers who have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

Fifteen soldiers were killed in April 2009.

Five U.S. troops were killed on April 10 in a suicide truck bomb attack that targeted an Iraqi police headquarters in Mosul, while four others were reportedly killed in non-combat incidents.

SH (P)