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June 21, 2009

Truck Bombing Kills 72 in Iraq
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=24E4342:A6F02AD83191E160C8CCCFAEF0E757EA5C6F54A6CF9DC2CA&
 
The bombing Saturday near a Shi'ite mosque in northern Iraq wounded some
200 people 
People sift through the rubble of their home destroyed by a truck
bombing on Saturdaynear Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of
Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, 21 June 2009Iraqi police and rescue crews are
searching through the rubble of a mosque and nearby homes for bodies and
possible survivors of a suicide bombing that killed at least 72 people.
The bombing Saturday near a Shi'ite mosque in northern Iraq wounded some
200 people. The attack near the city of Kirkuk came just 10 days before
U.S. forces are scheduled to pull out of Iraq's urban areas. The suicide
bomber set off explosives in a truck as worshippers left a mosque
following midday prayers in Taza, a mainly Turkmen town south of Kirkuk.
Dozens of homes were destroyed. Medical officials say women and children
are among the dead. No one has claimed responsibility for the suicide
bombing. Shortly before the attack, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
told leaders from the ethnic Turkmen community to stay resolute even if
there is a breach of security in Iraq. Tensions have risen in the
oil-rich area as the Kurdish majority seeks to incorporate it into their
semiautonomous region despite opposition from other ethnic groups. The
level of violence has dropped significantly across Iraq in the past
year. But Iraqi officials have warned that insurgents will increase
attacks in an effort to undermine confidence in the country's security
forces.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. 


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