At least 25 people were killed when a suicide bomber slammed his truck into a densely populated residential area in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar today.

Iraq’s national traffic police chief escaped an assassination attempt today when gunmen ambushed his convoy in Baghdad.

At least 12 people were killed and 25 wounded when a suicide bomber hit a major police station in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul today.

Iraqis expressed a mix of feelings today when asked about US President George Bush’s pledge to keep American troops in their country until Iraq’s security forces can stand alone, with some agreeing and others fed up with what they still call an “occupation”.