BAGHDAD, June 6 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber detonated his booby-trapped car north of Baghdad Monday, injuring four Iraqi soldiers despite security raids near the Iraqi capital. Security sources said the attack occurred outside a U.S.-Iraqi military base in Tikrit, hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Baghdad.
An estimated 1,000 Iraqi troops and police continued security raids for the second straight day Monday in the towns of the so-called "Triangle of Death" south of Baghdad, rounding up more than 200 suspected insurgents. The security plan dubbed "Operation Lighting" covered the towns of Latifiya, Youssifiya, Mahmoudiya and Madaen, with the aim of curbing rampant violence. Security sources said as many as 1000 people have been rounded up since the operation kicked off in Baghdad a week ago. They said government forces are receiving assistance and tips from the public, helping them dismantle terrorist cells and seize insurgents and arms. |