This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8060883.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Kirkuk bomber strikes US-allied militia Iraq bombings kill 23 in Baghdad and Kirkuk
(about 2 hours later)
At least eight people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. At least 23 people, including three US soldiers, have been killed in a series of deadly bombings in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Kirkuk.
Several other people were hurt in the blast, which officials said targeted members of a US-allied Sunni militia. In the deadliest attack, a suicide bomber struck at a market in Baghdad's Dora district, killing 12 people, including three US soldiers.
Dressed in the group's uniform, the attacker joined a group of men waiting to receive their pay and then detonated explosives, officials said. The Kirkuk blast targeted members of the Awakening Council, a US-allied Sunni militia, killing eight people.
It comes a day after at least 34 people were killed in a car bomb attack in north-western Baghdad. A third bombing inside a Baghdad police station killed three recruits.
The men targeted in Thursday's attack were members of the so-called Awakening Councils - a movement of former militias and insurgents who have turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq and allied themselves with the US and Iraqi militaries. Concerns over violence
Withdrawal due The attacks come a day after at least 40 people were killed in a car bomb attack in north-western Baghdad.
Overall, April was the bloodiest month in Iraq this year, with a 40% rise in the number of people killed over March - though the toll for May had been lower. Families mourn at the funeral of a victim of Wednesday's bombing
Both the Iraqi government and the US say recent attacks were isolated incidents that do not undermine the security gains. They say the attacks are not as sophisticated as they once were. Both the Iraqi government and the US say recent attacks are isolated incidents that do not undermine security gains. They say the attacks are not as sophisticated as they once were.
But the BBC's Natalia Antelava in Baghdad says many people in the capital feel the situation is deteriorating and could get worse once US troops withdraw from Iraqi cities at the end of June. April was the bloodiest month in Iraq this year, with a 40% rise in the number of people killed over March - but the toll for May had been lower.
Many also point out that the latest attacks have tended to target Shia areas, raising fears that sectarian violence could once more be on the rise. However the BBC's Natalia Antelava, in Baghdad, says many people in the capital feel the situation is deteriorating and could get worse once US troops withdraw from Iraqi cities at the end of June.
Three blasts
The US military said it could not immediately confirm Iraqi police reports of the deaths of three US soldiers in the attack in Dora, a district that was one of the city's most dangerous areas until a year ago.
The Kirkuk blast earlier on Thursday targeted members of the so-called Awakening Councils - a movement of former militias and insurgents who have turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq and allied themselves with the US and Iraqi militaries.
The attacker, dressed in the group's uniform, joined a group of men waiting to receive their pay and then detonated explosives, officials said.
The attack at Baghdad's Al-Mamoun police station, in the west of the city, claimed the lives of three policemen and injured 19 people, including eight civilians.
Police said the bomb was planted inside a garbage container - the first time an explosive had gone off inside a police station.


Are you in the area? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below:Are you in the area? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below:
A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & ConditionsThe BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions