Suicide Bombing Kills Two in Eastern Iraq

12 August 2008 -- Iraqi officials have imposed a curfew in the capital of eastern Diyala province after a suicide bomber killed at least two people and wounded at least seven others Tuesday.

U.S. and Iraqi officials say the blast occurred near a convoy carrying the Diyala governor Raad Rasheed and an Iraqi army commander in the provincial capital, Baquba. The two were unharmed in the attack.

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The U.S. military says the bomber, dressed as a woman, was attempting to approach the convoy when soldiers identified him as a threat and opened fire, causing the explosives to detonate.

Iraqi and U.S. forces recently launched an offensive in Diyala to crack down on insurgents. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is offering amnesty to militants who surrender.

But the Iraqi government announced Monday that it would temporarily suspend its military operations in the province to give gunmen a chance to surrender.

Tuesday's blast is the second suicide attack in the city in two days. On Monday, a female bomber blew herself up near a group of police officers in Baquba, killing one.

Elsewhere, the U.S. military says Iraqi security forces detained 70 suspected militants in a separate operation Friday in Iskandariya, south of Baghdad.

In western Anbar province, the military says a U.S. Marine was killed and two others wounded when their unit came under attack from militants in a village southwest of Tikrit Sunday.

In other news, Iraqi officials say the speaker of Iraq's parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, traveled to Jordan today for medical treatment, after experiencing heart problems. Officials did not elaborate on his condition.

Source: VOA News