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/6946028.stm
The article has changed 17 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Iraq suicide bomb hits key bridge | Iraq suicide bomb hits key bridge |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A suicide lorry bomber has attacked a bridge north of Baghdad, sending cars plunging into the water and killing at least 10 people, Iraqi police said. | A suicide lorry bomber has attacked a bridge north of Baghdad, sending cars plunging into the water and killing at least 10 people, Iraqi police said. |
| The Thiraa Dijla bridge in Taji lies on the main road from Baghdad to Mosul. | The Thiraa Dijla bridge in Taji lies on the main road from Baghdad to Mosul. |
| Earlier, US troops said they had killed four gunmen in Baghdad, but local officials said at least three of the dead were civilians. | |
| Separately, three Iraqi ministers whose party had been boycotting government meetings, attended the latest session. | Separately, three Iraqi ministers whose party had been boycotting government meetings, attended the latest session. |
| The move comes as politicians from some of Iraq's main political parties are holding informal talks ahead of a summit called this week by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to try to resolve their differences. | The move comes as politicians from some of Iraq's main political parties are holding informal talks ahead of a summit called this week by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to try to resolve their differences. |
| Also on Tuesday, the US military said four US soldiers had been killed in two separate attacks in Baghdad and the northern province of Nineveh on Monday. | Also on Tuesday, the US military said four US soldiers had been killed in two separate attacks in Baghdad and the northern province of Nineveh on Monday. |
| 'Bridge collapses' | 'Bridge collapses' |
| The suicide lorry bomber attacked the Thiraa Dijla bridge at noon, police said. | The suicide lorry bomber attacked the Thiraa Dijla bridge at noon, police said. |
| He detonated his payload after passing through an Iraqi army checkpoint near the bridge in Taji, about 20km (12 miles) north of Baghdad. | He detonated his payload after passing through an Iraqi army checkpoint near the bridge in Taji, about 20km (12 miles) north of Baghdad. |
| The explosion killed at least 10 people and sent a number of vehicles plunging in the canal, which links the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. | The explosion killed at least 10 people and sent a number of vehicles plunging in the canal, which links the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. |
| The number of injured was not immediately known. | The number of injured was not immediately known. |
| Reports say the bridge collapsed after the blast. | Reports say the bridge collapsed after the blast. |
| Government hopes | Government hopes |
| On the political front, the three minister from the mixed Sunni-Shia Iraqi National List of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi unexpectedly attended a government session. | On the political front, the three minister from the mixed Sunni-Shia Iraqi National List of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi unexpectedly attended a government session. |
| They were among five ministers who last week began the boycott of Mr Maliki's government over what they said was its failure to end sectarian violence. | They were among five ministers who last week began the boycott of Mr Maliki's government over what they said was its failure to end sectarian violence. |
| Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he hoped Iraq's fractured government could be rebuilt, and key legislation agreed, after this week's summit. | Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he hoped Iraq's fractured government could be rebuilt, and key legislation agreed, after this week's summit. |
| Most Sunni Arabs have withdrawn from the administration of Mr Maliki, whose cabinet is now narrowly based on Shia Muslim religious parties and Kurdish groups. | Most Sunni Arabs have withdrawn from the administration of Mr Maliki, whose cabinet is now narrowly based on Shia Muslim religious parties and Kurdish groups. |
| Washington has expressed its frustration with the slow pace of political reform, a central goal of its recent military build-up was to give Iraqi politicians the space to make real progress. | Washington has expressed its frustration with the slow pace of political reform, a central goal of its recent military build-up was to give Iraqi politicians the space to make real progress. |
| 'Civilian deaths' | 'Civilian deaths' |
| The US military said on Tuesday that its troops had killed four gunmen in Baghdad's Sadr City. But local officials said three civilians died in the raid. | |
| They said one of the victims was a young girl sleeping with her family on the roof. | They said one of the victims was a young girl sleeping with her family on the roof. |
| Later in the morning, angry mourners marched through the area with flag-draped coffins. | Later in the morning, angry mourners marched through the area with flag-draped coffins. |
| "The Americans raided our house from the roof... and killed my brother and my five-year-old niece," Ali Khamis Eidan, a policeman, told Reuters news agency. | |
| The US military in Iraq denied killing any civilians in the raid. | The US military in Iraq denied killing any civilians in the raid. |
| Sadr City, home to about a third of Baghdad's six million people, has been a focus of American raids in recent weeks. | Sadr City, home to about a third of Baghdad's six million people, has been a focus of American raids in recent weeks. |
| It is a stronghold in the capital of Shia militias largely loyal to cleric Moqtada Sadr. | It is a stronghold in the capital of Shia militias largely loyal to cleric Moqtada Sadr. |