Nov 12, 2008 2:00 pm US/Eastern
Iraqi Soldier Kills 2, Wounds 6 U.S. Troops
Bombs Rip Baghdad For 3rd Straight Day; 9 Dead
BAGHDAD (CBS News) ―
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An Iraqi man checks his damaged vehicle caught in the blast of a car bomb in the northern city of Mosul, north of the capital Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2008.
Mujahed Mohammed/AFP/Getty Images
Two U.S. troops were killed and six others wounded in an exchange of fire involving an Iraqi soldier who also was slain Wednesday in Mosul, the American military said.
The Iraqi soldier was believed to have been the assailant, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris Stagner said.
The military said the attack occurred about 11:30 a.m. in an Iraqi army compound in the northern city, which has been the focus of intensive joint U.S.-Iraqi operations against al Qaeda in Iraq.
The Iraqi soldier opened fire on the Americans after a quarrel broke out between them in the Zinjili area, a volatile Sunni neighborhood in central Mosul, Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari said.
He said the Americans then killed the Iraqi soldier, who was identified as Barzan al-Hadidi.
The U.S. military said it could not confirm details about the incident until an investigation is completed.
Meanwhile, in the Iraqi capital, a series of bombings shook Baghdad for the third consecutive day, killing 23 people and wounding some 90 others Wednesday, police said. The attacks underlined the fragility of recent security gains in the Iraqi capital.
In the face of heightened violence in Baghdad, the Iraqi military said it was taking measures to curb "the increasing number of terrorist attacks" in the city.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said the measures would include stepped up intelligence gathering and pre-emptive strikes on suspected extremists.
The first car bomb ripped through a bustling section of downtown Baghdad during the Wednesday morning rush hour, killing four people and injuring 15 others. The blast occurred around 9:30 a.m. off Nasir Square in the heart of the city - a busy neighborhood of shops, pharmacies and photography stores.
A second car bomb exploded near the Baidha secondary school in the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Shaab in north Baghdad. Iraqi police said five people were killed and 12 wounded.
In the Shiite district of New Baghdad, a bomb exploded around 5:00 p.m. Moments later, a parked car bomb blew up in the same area after the police arrived on the scene of the first blast.
It was not immediately clear how many were killed in each explosion, but police and hospital officials gave an initial total of 14 dead, including three children and two women. There were also 12 children, eight women and six policemen among the 60 wounded.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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