Church bomb attacks kill at least 12

A SERIES of co-ordinated bombings targeted churches in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul during evening services yesterday, killed more than a dozen people.

Many more were wounded in the first attacks on Christian places of worship in Iraq's 15-month insurgency.

The church attacks came amid a flurry of other bombings in and around the two cities that killed at least 12 Iraqis and a US soldier.

The US military confirmed two other explosions in Baghdad in the evening, but their target was not immediately clear.

The church attacks in Baghdad appeared to be car bombs. The two blasts exploded minutes apart outside two nearby churches - one Armenian and one Catholic - in the Karada neighbourhood.

Massive plumes of black smoke poured into the evening sky over the city as firemen struggled to put out flames leaping from the front of the Armenian church and several blackened cars.

"I saw injured women and children and men, the church's glass shattered everywhere. There's glass all over the floor," said Juliette Agob, who was inside the Armenian church during the first explosion.

At nearly the same time, two blasts struck outside a church in Mosul and a third blast hit a bridge, Iraqi officials said. There was no immediate word on casualties.

Meanwhile, a tribal leader mediating with kidnappers for the release of seven kidnapped truck drivers said talks had hit an impasse.

"The two sides were unable to reach an agreement, I don't know what's going to happen now," said Sheik Hisham al-Dulaimi. He said there was no longer contact with the hostage-takers. The captives "have not been released," he said.

The three Kenyans, three Indians and one Egyptian have been held since July 21, and their kidnappers - calling themselves The Holders of the Black Banners - have threatened to kill them unless the Kuwaiti company that employs them withdraws from Iraq.

The company, Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport, had been working with al-Dulaimi to win the hostages' release. Mr Al-Dulaimi did not give details on the breakdown in talks.

Militants in Iraq have kidnapped more than 70 foreigners in recent months in an effort to push countries out of the US-led coalition that invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein more than a year ago.

At the same time, the campaign of violence waged by insurgents since the fall of Saddam has not waned, despite last month's transfer of sovereignty from the US. About 160,000 coalition troops, mostly Americans, remain in Iraq.

In Fallujah, US forces entered the city overnight in fighting that shook the area with huge explosions. Coalition aircraft also dropped bombs on a building in an industrial zone from which gunmen were firing, the military said.

At least 12 people were killed and 39 wounded in the fighting. The US military said it had killed 10 assailants during the clashes.