Baghdad Bomb Blast Kills Eight

An Iraqi police officer on patrol in Karbala today (epa) August 16, 2006 -- Iraqi security officials say that a bomb exploded in central Baghdad today, killing at least eight people and wounding about 28 others.

The bomb went off in a crowd of people near the capital's main bus station. Four police officers were among the injured.


In separate developments, Iraqi police say that fighting erupted between gunmen and police in the northern city of Mosul today.


Five gunmen were reportedly killed during the clashes. Six were arrested.


A morgue official, Ma'mun al-Ajili, in the town of Al-Kut, which is located some 160 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, said that police have found three bodies floating in the Tigris River. All three bodies were bound, blindfolded, and showed signs of torture.


(AFP, AP, Reuters)

The International Coalition In Iraq

The International Coalition In Iraq
Georgian soldiers marking Georgian Independence Day in Baghdad on June 6 (epa)

COALITION MEMBERS: In addition to the United States, 28 countries are Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) contributors as of May 31, 2006: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Fiji is participating as part of the UN mission in Iraq. Hungary, Iceland, Slovenia, and Turkey are NATO countries supporting Iraqi stability operations but are not part of MNF-I.

NON-U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL IN IRAQ: United Kingdom, 8,000 as of May 26, 2006; South Korea, 3,237 as of May 9, 2006; Italy, 2,900 as of April 27, 2006; Poland, 900 as of May 30, 2006; Australia, 900 as of March 28, 2006; Georgia, 900 as of March 24, 2006; Romania, 860 as of April 27, 2006; Japan, 600 as of May 30, 2006; Denmark, 530 as of May 23, 2006; All others, 1,140.

(Source: The Washington-based Brooking Institution’s Iraq Index of June 15, 2006)


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