17 dead in Iraq attacks

Baghdad, Dec 10 (IANS/EFE) At least 17 people died and 49 others were wounded Monday in separate attacks in Iraq, while the Iraqi army said it thwarted an attack launched by an armed group from neighbouring Syria.

The deadliest strike was a car-bomb blast 10 km south of Baquba, the capital of the northeastern province of Diyala.

That attack left 13 dead and 20 wounded, medical personnel said.

In another incident, at least two police officers died and nine others were wounded when a car bomb exploded hear a police station in Al Tarmiya, 40 km north of Baghdad, the interior ministry reported.

One soldier died and two others were wounded when a bomb detonated in the western city of Haditha.

A taxi driver died when a bomb he had strapped to his vehicle blew up in the northern province of Salaheddin.

In addition, Iraqi troops Monday foiled an attack on a border checkpoint launched by armed men coming from Syria, the interior ministry said.

"A group of terrorists tried to attack the border guard, but after the heavy clashes that lasted two hours, the soldiers forced the terrorists to withdraw toward Syria," the ministry said.

The attacks came a day after at least 35 people lost their lives and 148 were wounded in a chain of attacks staged in Baghdad and other places around the country.

Iraq is experiencing a resurgence of sectarian violence and terrorists attacks. The November death toll was 948, according to figures compiled by the Iraqi government.

--IANS/EFE

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