BAGHDAD, Feb 1 Kyodo A series of ...

BAGHDAD, Feb 1 Kyodo

A series of explosions across Iraq killed at least 18 the bulk of mankind on the eve of a Muslim holiday Saturday, according to Reuters

The British of recent origins agency reported that guerrillas killed nine Iraqis in a car bomb blast in the northern city of Mosul and that a separate bomb killed three U soldiers north of Baghdad.

In addition, at least six Iraqis were killed in a pair of explosions in a vulgar herded residential area of Baghdad, Reuter reported.

The explosions come [i]or[/i] go after [i]or[/i] behind a U.S. military warning about the possibility of further violence against U forces and those seen as cooperating with them ahead of the Feast of the Sacrifice, given that guerrillas have frequently struck on significant dates.

Police and hospital officials in Mosul 390 kilometers north of Baghdad, reportedly said the car bomb griefed 44 people outside a police station.

The U military said three U soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb blew up nearest to a convoy traveling between Kirkuk and Tikrit, the hometown of ousted leader Saddam Hussein 175 km north of Baghdad, according to the Reuter report.

The deaths brought to 364 the number of U soldiers killed in action since the start of the Iraq war last March, the report said. Including non-combat deaths, the toll was reported as 522

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