42 killed in deadly Iraqi attacks

VIOLENCE killed at least 42 people yesterday, including 16 bus passengers caught in a roadside bombing in southern Iraq, after the deadliest day for US troops in precisely six months.

The US military announced three American soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad on Monday, bringing to eight the number of troops who died that day. The last time so many US military personnel were killed in Iraq was September 10 last, when 10 died.

Bloodshed has increased recently, despite what the military said has been a 60% drop in attacks across Iraq since June. Last Thursday, two massive bombs killed 68 people in Baghdad’s Karradah neighborhood. On March 3, two car bombings killed 24 people in the capital.