Special Report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    MOSUL, Iraq, April 19 (Xinhua) -- A policeman was killed and eight people were injured in two attacks in Iraq's northern city of Mosul on Sunday, a local police source said.

    A policeman was killed and three others were injured when a group of seven gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in the al-Shifaa neighborhood in western Mosul, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    The policemen traded fire with the attacker, but it was not known whether the gunmen sustained any casualty, the source said.

    In separate incident, a booby-trapped car detonated near passing U.S. patrol in the Faisaliyah neighborhood in central Mosul, the source added.

    Five people were wounded by the blast, including three were in critical condition, he said, adding that he can not confirm whether the U.S. patrol was hit by the blast or escaped it.

    The U.S. military has no immediate comment about the incident.

    Nineveh province, with its capital city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, is said to be one of the last strongholds of al-Qaida fighters and other insurgent groups in the war-torn country.

    Despite security gains in recent months in Iraq, there are still sporadic bombings targeting U.S. troops, Iraqi security forces and civilians, which shape setback to the Iraqi government.