BAGHDAD, Sept 28 — A series of bomb attacks across Iraq killed at least 13 people today, police said, ending a period of relative quiet following the Muslim holy month.
In western Anbar province, a suicide bomber driving a water tanker packed with explosives blew himself up near a police station, killing seven policemen and wounding 10, said Hussein Ali, a police major in the area west of the city of Ramadi.
The attack burned out several cars and damaged the building.
“We were at a checkpoint ... when suddenly a water tanker came toward us. The driver refused to stop and broke the barrier close to the building before exploding himself,” said Jassim Mohammed, a policeman at the site.
Earlier in the day, a bomb planted on a minibus travelling north towards Baghdad exploded, killing at least three passengers and wounding two just north of Diwaniya, 150 km south of the Iraqi capital, police said.
A police colonel at the scene said six people were killed, but another police officer put the death toll at three.
Later, two bombs in western Baghdad — an initial explosion followed by another just as people gathered at the blast site — killed at least three people, including the commander of the local army battalion.
Baghdad security sources said that nine soldiers were wounded in the attack in Ghazaliya district, but a second police source said the bombs wounded 28 people. Violence has fallen sharply in Iraq since the height of the sectarian killing unleashed by the 2003 US-led invasion.
This month, at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Iraqis enjoyed the most tranquil Eid al-Fitr holiday in years. Parks and restaurants in Baghdad were packed by revellers who came out in force to enjoy newfound calm.
Still, roadside bombs, shootings and suicide attacks remain common, raising questions about local security forces’ ability to keep Iraqis safe as US troops prepare to withdraw by 2012.
Iraqi police and soldiers remain a prime target for insurgents. Increasingly common are attacks using “sticky bombs”, explosives planted on cars using magnets or other means. — Reuters
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