Suicide bomber attacks bus in Mosul

A suicide car bomber today exploded his vehicle alongside a bus carrying Kurdish peshmerga militiamen in Mosul, killing at least seven and injuring eight, a Kurdish official said.

Saadi Ahmed, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan official, said the peshmerga were in a bus travelling from Kurdish-controlled Irbil province in northern Iraq to Mosul, a city 360 kilometres (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

The bombing took place in eastern Mosul’s Karama neighbourhood at 3.35pm (12.35pm Irish time), Ahmed added.

Ahmed said the blast victims all belonged to the PUK, one of two major Kurdish parties based in northern Iraq.

Mosul has been the scene of fierce fighting since Thursday involving US and allied Iraqi forces against insurgents opposed to coalition forces. Insurgents have also launched regular attacks aimed against Kurds in the area.