BAGHDAD, Feb. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- A pushcart bomb blew up near an Iraqi army foot patrol in a popular market in Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, on Thursday, killing 16 people, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

    "A pushcart packed with explosives detonated near an Iraqi army foot patrol while it was passing through a busy popular market in Baquba, killing 16 people, including eight soldiers," the source said on condition of anonymity.

    The blast wounded 20 others, he added.

    Insurgents frequently mount attacks on U.S. troops and Iraqi forces in an attempt to cripple the U.S.-backed political process in the violence-torn country. Enditem