Bomb attack on mosque in Iraq kills 11

A car bomb blew up outside a Shia mosque in Baghdad as prayers were ending on Friday, killing 11 people and wounding 17, Iraqi police and ho...

A car bomb blew up outside a Shia mosque in Baghdad as prayers were ending on Friday, killing 11 people and wounding 17, Iraqi police and hospital sources said.

The blast at the al-Subeih mosque in eastern Baghdad knocked down part of the building and a cistern inside burst, soaking the floor. Blood mixed with the water forming large red pools. There have been more than a dozen attacks on Shia and Sunni mosques over the past year-and-a-half fuelling tension between the two main Muslim sects in Iraq.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

In other violence, a bomb in Basra, about 550 km southeast of Baghdad, wounded seven police officers, including a visiting inspector from the Capital, police said.

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Ten people were wounded late on Thursday in an explosion at their home in Falluja.

Insurgents also gave Romania four days to withdraw its troops from Iraq to save the lives of three Romanian journalists kidnapped last month.

Iraqi insurgents said that after they shot down a Bulgarian commercial helicopter with 11 people on board—including six Americans—they had captured and killed the sole survivor, a Bulgarian crew member. The Russian-built Mi-8 Helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade as it flew over a deserted area north of Baghdad.

The group posted on its website a video of what appeared to be burning remains of the helicopter. A man in blue overalls was shown lying in a grassy area and reaching out for help. Off-camera insurgents helped the man get up and then ordered him to walk away before shooting him repeatedly. — Reuters

Allawi group demands five posts in new govt

BAGHDAD
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: Outgoing Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s on Friday issued a list stating his group would not join the new Iraqi Government without four cabinet posts and a slot of Deputy Premier. Head of Allawi’s negotiating team said, ‘‘These are our demands and if they are not satisfied, we cannot participate.’’ — AFP/PTI