Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

A U.S. soldier inspects the site of a bomb attack in Baghdad's Shaab district July 6, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BAGHDAD, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a car bomb explosion in northeastern Baghdad on Sunday rose to six, with 14 others injured, an Interior Ministry source said.

    "The latest reports said that up to six civilians were killed and 14 people were wounded by the car bombing," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    The source said that a booby-trapped car went off on Sunday morning near a mosque in the predominately-Shiite neighborhood of Sha'ab, adding that the attack apparently targeted a police patrol passing in the area.

    Six policemen were among the wounded by the blast which also damaged two police vehicles and several civilian cars, the source said.

    Sporadic attacks continue in Baghdad despite the U.S. and Iraqi officials' announcement of a relative lull in violence during the past few months.

Bomb attack kills 8 in NE of Baghdad

    BAGHDAD, July 6 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb went off near the convoy of a Kurdish party member in Diyala province on Sunday, killing eight people and wounding two others, a provincial police source said.

    The attack took place near the town of Qara Tabbah, some 150 km northeast of Baghdad when a roadside bomb hit the convoy of Muhammad Ramadhan Issa, local leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), killing him, five of his family members and two bodyguards, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Full story

Car bomb wounds five Iraqis in Baghdad

    BAGHDAD, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Five civilians were injured in a car bomb explosion in western Baghdad on Sunday, an Interior Ministry source said.

    "A booby-trapped car parked near the Nafaq al-Shurta area in Khadraa district detonated in the afternoon, wounding five civilians," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Full story