BAGHDAD, Nov. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Six Iraqi guardsmen were killed and two others wounded by roadside bombs on Wednesday near northern city Kirkuk, said a National Guard general.

    One roadside bomb exploded at around 7:45 a.m. (0445 GMT) on a road near Tuz, 60 km north of Kirkuk, when a National Guard patrol was on their way to a military camp, said general Anuar Mohammad.

    He added that the blast destroyed a vehicle and killed all the four Iraqi guardsmen on board, including a commander.

    Some twenty minutes later, a second bomb went off near the first blast site as another National Guard patrol were dispatched to the scene, killing two, Mohammad added.

    Most of the Iraqi soldiers were residents of that area, the general said.

    The Iraqi National Guard often fall victim to attacks of insurgents aimed at destabilizing the war-torn country and thwarting the general elections slate for January, 2005. Enditem