Hillah

A car bomb exploded Friday near a mosque in southern Iraq as mourners gathered for the funeral of a tribal sheik, killing at least 17 people and wounding 70, Iraqi officials said. The blast took place at 5 p.m. in a town outside Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, as the mourners gathered in a hall near the mosque. The explosion set cars ablaze and damaged several nearby buildings. Many local officials, including the chief of provincial council, his deputy and some judges, were at the ceremony but were not among the dead or injured.

A series of explosions and shootings struck Iraq on Tuesday, leaving scores dead and injured a week before a major Arab summit in Baghdad aimed at showcasing the nation's stability after the U.S. military withdrawal. Starting shortly after dawn, at least 20 bombs exploded at 13 sites, from Baghdad to the northern city of Kirkuk to the southern cities of Hillah and Karbala. The nationwide death toll was at least 46, with more than 200 injured, the Associated Press reported. At least two car bombs exploded near the heavily fortified Green Zone, where next week's Arab League summit is scheduled to take place.

A suicide bomber killed at least 16 people in southern Iraq on Thursday as the country braced for attacks from Al Qaeda in Iraq in the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden. The car bomber blew up his vehicle at a police headquarters in the mainly Shiite Muslim city of Hillah before 7 a.m. as the police switched from overnight to day shift. It was the second major attack in Iraq since Bin Laden was killed early Monday. The attacker in Hillah set off his explosives as officers gathered outside during their shift change, local officials said on state television.

A car bomb exploded Friday near a mosque in southern Iraq as mourners gathered for the funeral of a tribal sheik, killing at least 17 people and wounding 70, Iraqi officials said. The blast took place at 5 p.m. in a town outside Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, as the mourners gathered in a hall near the mosque. The explosion set cars ablaze and damaged several nearby buildings. Many local officials, including the chief of provincial council, his deputy and some judges, were at the ceremony but were not among the dead or injured.

A bomb attached to a bicycle killed five people in southern Iraq, and at least five others were killed in violence across the country, police said. The bloodshed comes as Iraqi lawmakers intensify negotiations over a new election law that many hope will hasten the end of political gridlock over control of oil-rich Kirkuk. Police said a bicycle exploded at a produce market near Hillah, 60 miles south of Baghdad, killing five. Two people were killed in bombings in the western city of Ramadi, and three died in a blast in the southern city of Karbala.

Re "Suicide blast kills at least 130 in Baghdad," Feb. 4 Further down in the article, it says that 73 people were killed in the southern city of Hillah on Thursday. If we keep this up -- killing Iraqi citizens -- we can easily take over the place for ourselves. Keep it up, President Bush. That's a great solution. GAIL KEARNS Woodland Hills Re "U.S. can't yet prove Iran link to Iraq strife," Feb. 3 Are we criticizing Iran's alleged involvement in Iraq because we don't like its politics, or because we think it's immoral to destabilize another government?

A series of explosions and shootings struck Iraq on Tuesday, leaving scores dead and injured a week before a major Arab summit in Baghdad aimed at showcasing the nation's stability after the U.S. military withdrawal. Starting shortly after dawn, at least 20 bombs exploded at 13 sites, from Baghdad to the northern city of Kirkuk to the southern cities of Hillah and Karbala. The nationwide death toll was at least 46, with more than 200 injured, the Associated Press reported. At least two car bombs exploded near the heavily fortified Green Zone, where next week's Arab League summit is scheduled to take place.

An old man blared on a trumpet, policemen danced in the back of their pickup trucks and a singer from the days of Saddam Hussein trilled in a city park, all to celebrate the new era. Monday night was a time for Iraqis to bask in their sovereignty as they counted down to today, the formal departure date of U.S. forces from their cities. In the days ahead, Iraqis may still worry about the possibility of increased sectarian violence, the lackluster economy and a dearth of basic services.

The U.S. military on Sunday announced the deaths of three troops, pushing the death toll of American forces to nearly 1,500 since the Iraq war began in March 2003. All three died Saturday; two were killed in an ambush in southeastern Baghdad and the third, a Marine, was killed in military operations in Babil province, south of the capital. Early today, a large car bombing was reported in Hillah, also in Babil province.

Suicide bombers struck Saturday in Baghdad and a Shiite Muslim city south of the capital in attacks that killed 22 people and injured nearly 50, Iraqi officials said. One of the attackers targeted bystanders and police officers who had rushed to the scene of an earlier blast. In the first attack, a bomber blew himself up outside a recruiting station for police special forces in west Baghdad, killing at least 16 people, including 11 recruits, police and hospital officials said.

A suicide bomber killed at least 16 people in southern Iraq on Thursday as the country braced for attacks from Al Qaeda in Iraq in the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden. The car bomber blew up his vehicle at a police headquarters in the mainly Shiite Muslim city of Hillah before 7 a.m. as the police switched from overnight to day shift. It was the second major attack in Iraq since Bin Laden was killed early Monday. The attacker in Hillah set off his explosives as officers gathered outside during their shift change, local officials said on state television.

Militants launched attacks on security forces and Shiite Muslim civilians across Iraq on Monday, killing nearly 100 people in a spree of shootings and bombings that rattled the country and worsened tensions among its political elite. At least 92 Iraqis were killed and more than 300 were injured. The number of dead and wounded rose steadily in the evening as reports trickled in from Mosul in the north, Basra in the far south and points in between. News channels broadcast familiar images of weeping women cloaked in black abayas , mangled vehicles and pools of water tinged with blood.

A bomb attached to a bicycle killed five people in southern Iraq, and at least five others were killed in violence across the country, police said. The bloodshed comes as Iraqi lawmakers intensify negotiations over a new election law that many hope will hasten the end of political gridlock over control of oil-rich Kirkuk. Police said a bicycle exploded at a produce market near Hillah, 60 miles south of Baghdad, killing five. Two people were killed in bombings in the western city of Ramadi, and three died in a blast in the southern city of Karbala.

An old man blared on a trumpet, policemen danced in the back of their pickup trucks and a singer from the days of Saddam Hussein trilled in a city park, all to celebrate the new era. Monday night was a time for Iraqis to bask in their sovereignty as they counted down to today, the formal departure date of U.S. forces from their cities. In the days ahead, Iraqis may still worry about the possibility of increased sectarian violence, the lackluster economy and a dearth of basic services.

A car bomb exploded at a crowded livestock market south of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 13 people in a mainly Shiite Muslim area that the U.S. military has described as one of the safest in Iraq. The blast, which injured 57 people, struck the market at the height of trading, scattering animal carcasses and human remains across the dirt.

Iraqi forces early Friday rounded up 38 alleged members of a Shiite Muslim cult involved in a battle last month with Iraqi and U.S. troops that left hundreds dead and injured. Three contingents of Iraqi police raided several neighborhoods in the southern Iraqi city of Hillah and detained members of a mysterious religious group called Heaven's Army, said Brig. Gen. Abbas Jabouri, commander of the Hillah-based Scorpion Brigades.

Iraqi forces early Friday rounded up 38 alleged members of a Shiite Muslim cult involved in a battle last month with Iraqi and U.S. troops that left hundreds dead and injured. Three contingents of Iraqi police raided several neighborhoods in the southern Iraqi city of Hillah and detained members of a mysterious religious group called Heaven's Army, said Brig. Gen. Abbas Jabouri, commander of the Hillah-based Scorpion Brigades.

At least 115 people were killed and more than 100 wounded Monday morning when a car bomb ripped through a crowd outside a medical center south of the Iraqi capital. Many of the victims were men waiting for physical examinations required for jobs in the Iraqi security forces.

Re "Suicide blast kills at least 130 in Baghdad," Feb. 4 Further down in the article, it says that 73 people were killed in the southern city of Hillah on Thursday. If we keep this up -- killing Iraqi citizens -- we can easily take over the place for ourselves. Keep it up, President Bush. That's a great solution. GAIL KEARNS Woodland Hills Re "U.S. can't yet prove Iran link to Iraq strife," Feb. 3 Are we criticizing Iran's alleged involvement in Iraq because we don't like its politics, or because we think it's immoral to destabilize another government?

Mohammed Raad and his friends, Ali and Abdullah Sami, had just finished working out at a gym Thursday when the first explosion ripped through the crowded market street in Hillah, overturning carts and blowing out shop windows. Despite the chaos, Raad then clearly heard a policeman shout, "Suicide bomber!" He saw the officer run toward a man who had opened his jacket to reveal a belt of explosives.