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Bomb kills 20 in northern Iraq Iraq bomb attacks leave 40 dead
(40 minutes later)
At least 20 people have been killed and some 40 injured, many seriously, by a truck bomb attack at a busy market in northern Iraq, officials say. More than 40 people have been killed in two separate bomb attacks in Iraq, security sources and officials say.
Security sources said the casualty figures were likely to rise because the market was full of shoppers. At least 20 people were killed in a truck bomb attack on a market in the town of Amirli, home to members of Iraq's Sunni Turkoman minority.
The blast happened at about 0900 (0500 GMT) south of Tuz Khurmato, near the city of Kirkuk. And some 22 people died overnight in a small Shia Kurdish village in Diyala province when a suspected suicide bomber destroyed a cafe.
It came after a suspected suicide bomb attack killed at least 22 Shias in Diyala province, near Iran. Meanwhile, the US said that six of its troops have died in recent days.
Officials said the bomber struck at a busy cafe used by the Shia Kurdish community that lives in the area. Military officials said four soldiers were killed in Baghdad when roadside bombs exploded near their patrols, while two Marines died in combat in the western province of Anbar on Thursday.
One report said many of those killed were themselves returning from a funeral. British troops in Basra province have also come under heavy fire during a large operation to find and arrest suspected militia members and insurgents, commanders said.
Correspondents say the market bombing in northern Iraq could have been linked to political developments in the region. Political issue
Violence in the area has risen recently, and could be linked to a planned referendum about Kirkuk province. Early estimates said at least 40 people were injured, many of them seriously, in Saturday's market bomb attack in northern Iraq.
Security officials in Tuz Khurmato, a town to the north of Amirli, said the casualty figures were likely to rise because the market was full of shoppers.
Correspondents say the market bombing could have been linked to political developments in the region, where a referendum on the status of Kirkuk province is supposed to take place by the end of this year.
Kirkuk lies outside Iraqi Kurdistan but is claimed by many Kurds for their national capital.Kirkuk lies outside Iraqi Kurdistan but is claimed by many Kurds for their national capital.
A referendum on the status of the province is supposed to take place by the end of this year. Officials in Diyala said the bomber who struck on Friday night targeted a busy cafe used by the Shia Kurdish community that lives in the area close to the border with Iran.
One report said many of those killed were themselves returning from a funeral.