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Lorry bombers target Iraqi Kurds | Lorry bombers target Iraqi Kurds |
(7 minutes later) | |
A lorry packed with explosives has been detonated in a Kurdish village in northern Iraq, killing at least 19 people, Iraqi police say. | A lorry packed with explosives has been detonated in a Kurdish village in northern Iraq, killing at least 19 people, Iraqi police say. |
Around 30 other people, including women and children were injured in the blast in the village of Wardek, 50 km (30 miles) east of Mosul. | Around 30 other people, including women and children were injured in the blast in the village of Wardek, 50 km (30 miles) east of Mosul. |
A number of homes were destroyed and police fear the death toll will rise as a search of the rubble is carried out. | A number of homes were destroyed and police fear the death toll will rise as a search of the rubble is carried out. |
A second lorry bomb in the village failed to detonate. | A second lorry bomb in the village failed to detonate. |
The driver was killed after local Kurdish Peshmerga militia opened fire on the lorry on the edge of Wardek, police said. | The driver was killed after local Kurdish Peshmerga militia opened fire on the lorry on the edge of Wardek, police said. |
The blast went off around midnight (2100 GMT Wednesday). | The blast went off around midnight (2100 GMT Wednesday). |
It is the latest in a series of attacks on ethnically-mixed villages in northern Iraq. | It is the latest in a series of attacks on ethnically-mixed villages in northern Iraq. |
A similar bombing in another village last month left 28 dead. | A similar bombing in another village last month left 28 dead. |
Mosul, Iraq's third biggest city, and the surrounding area has remained mired in violence despite the US military surge. | Mosul, Iraq's third biggest city, and the surrounding area has remained mired in violence despite the US military surge. |
US and Iraqi officials say al-Qaida insurgents have regrouped in the city after being driven out of neighbouring Anbar province, and are believed to want to provoke ethnic tension and violence. | US and Iraqi officials say al-Qaida insurgents have regrouped in the city after being driven out of neighbouring Anbar province, and are believed to want to provoke ethnic tension and violence. |
The city is also characterised by communal strife between Kurds and Arabs and violence targeting religious minorities. | The city is also characterised by communal strife between Kurds and Arabs and violence targeting religious minorities. |
In late 2008, the UN refugee agency reported that 13,000 Christians had been driven out of the city by violence and intimidation. | In late 2008, the UN refugee agency reported that 13,000 Christians had been driven out of the city by violence and intimidation. |
American, Iraqi and Kurdish officials are currently discussing plans to reinforce security in the region. | American, Iraqi and Kurdish officials are currently discussing plans to reinforce security in the region. |