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At least 27 killed in Iraq violence

BAGHDAD: At least 27 people were killed and several others injured, as violence continued across Iraq on Thursday.

Three successive roadside bombs targeting Iraqi army patrols killed five soldiers and injured six others in the northern town of Tal Afar on Thursday, police said. Four soldiers were killed when the first roadside bomb hit their vehicle. A second bomb went off as soldiers on foot rushed to the site. The third bomb hit an Iraqi army vehicle nearby. Gunmen stormed a Sunni mosque near Tikrit, killing four people and wounding 15, police said.

At least 18 more people were killed in other violence-related incidents across the country. In Baquba, gunmen killed 10 people, including two brothers, police said. Police found seven bullet-riddled bodies across Baghdad. A policeman was also shot dead by armed men.

Also, US and Iraqi forces detained a senior Shia official after raiding his home in Kerbala early on Thursday, Iraqi officials said. The US military said it could not confirm the reported arrest of Akeel al-Zubaidi, head of the provincial council in Kerbala.

The Iraqi group “Imam Ali Brigade” said it abducted Turkish “technical expert” Hasan Eskinutlu and his translator north of Baghdad and demanded the withdrawal of Ankara’s ambassador from Iraq, Al-Jazeera television reported on Thursday, showing footage of the alleged hostage. The group gave Ankara a week to meet its demands, the channel said.

The Pentagon said on Thursday the number of US military deaths in Iraq had reached 2,500. In addition, the Pentagon said 18,490 troops have been wounded in the war. Meanwhile, 450 detainees were released as part of a reconciliation bid ordered by Prime Minister Maliki. Also, the US military released pictures of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, alias Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Mohajer, successor of slain Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. agencies

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