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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Iraq town attack leaves 15 dead | Iraq town attack leaves 15 dead |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A large explosion near the town of Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, has killed at least 15 people and hurt about 25. | A large explosion near the town of Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, has killed at least 15 people and hurt about 25. |
| There were conflicting reports about what caused the blast: Iraqi police said a Katyusha rocket hit a building, but other reports blamed a truck bomb. | There were conflicting reports about what caused the blast: Iraqi police said a Katyusha rocket hit a building, but other reports blamed a truck bomb. |
| Mahmudiya, about 20 miles (30km) to the south of Baghdad, has seen frequent bombings and attacks in recent years. | Mahmudiya, about 20 miles (30km) to the south of Baghdad, has seen frequent bombings and attacks in recent years. |
| Elsewhere, police said a car bomb had killed five people and injured six in Ilam, in the south-west of Baghdad. | |
| Confusion | Confusion |
| Police sources in Mahmudiya said the blast had been caused by a Katyusha rocket said to have slammed into a residential building in a busy central area. | Police sources in Mahmudiya said the blast had been caused by a Katyusha rocket said to have slammed into a residential building in a busy central area. |
| The force of the blast reduced most of the building to rubble and there are fears that the final death toll could rise as more bodies are discovered. | The force of the blast reduced most of the building to rubble and there are fears that the final death toll could rise as more bodies are discovered. |
| "Three of us and a young boy were sitting in a store selling spare parts for cars when there was a huge explosion. Debris from the roof fell on me," one survivor, Sadeq, told the Reuters news agency. | |
| The town's mayor, told Reuters that the blast had been caused by a car bomb, and said 17 people had been killed. | |
| The mixed Sunni-Shia town is in a tense and volatile area that has seen frequent sectarian killings. | The mixed Sunni-Shia town is in a tense and volatile area that has seen frequent sectarian killings. |
| It lies in a belt of territory to the south of Baghdad which has seen a hotbed of insurgent attacks as well as friction between Sunni and Shia communities. | It lies in a belt of territory to the south of Baghdad which has seen a hotbed of insurgent attacks as well as friction between Sunni and Shia communities. |
| Crackdown continues | Crackdown continues |
| Also on Sunday, the US military said four of its troops had been killed in an explosion near their vehicle in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, another area hit by frequent violence. | Also on Sunday, the US military said four of its troops had been killed in an explosion near their vehicle in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, another area hit by frequent violence. |
| Further south, in the mainly Shia city of Diwaniya, hundreds of US and Iraqi army troops are battling for a third day with Shia militiamen holding positions in the centre of the city. | Further south, in the mainly Shia city of Diwaniya, hundreds of US and Iraqi army troops are battling for a third day with Shia militiamen holding positions in the centre of the city. |
| Diwaniya has been under curfew since the operation began at dawn on Friday and US air strikes were called in to try to root out the militia fighters. | Diwaniya has been under curfew since the operation began at dawn on Friday and US air strikes were called in to try to root out the militia fighters. |
| Up to 30,000 new US troops have been assigned to Iraq for a security crackdown on militia groups, which began two months ago. | Up to 30,000 new US troops have been assigned to Iraq for a security crackdown on militia groups, which began two months ago. |