- BAGHDAD: An Iraqi official says a bomb blast north of Baghdad has killed three Iraqi soldiers, hours before the nation’s parliament is to reconvene after lawmakers ended their boycott to protest persecution of Sunni officials.
Police spokesman in Diyala province, Maj. Ghalib Al-Karkhi, says a parked car bomb detonated near a military patrol late Monday in Baqouba, killing three soldiers and wounding three others.
Baqouba is a former Al-Qaeda stronghold, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.
Al-Qaeda has frequently targeted Iraqi security forces since the US troops left in December. The group appears to be exploiting a political crisis that has erupted after the Shiite-led government issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president on terrorism charges.
