Three Iraqi footballers killed by bombs

Iraq: Attacks in Baghdad and north Iraq on Sunday killed four people, including three who died when two bombs exploded as they were playing football, security officials said.

In the deadliest incident, three youths were killed and 14 were wounded when two roadside bombs exploded as they played football in the Jihad neighbourhood of south Baghdad, an interior ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

And in Qaiyara, 230 kilometres (140 miles) north of the capital in Nineveh province, a policeman was killed and another was injured when a roadside bomb exploded, a local policeman said.

The attacks come with just months to go before all US soldiers must withdraw from the country, with American officials pressing their counterparts in Baghdad to decide whether or not they want an extended US military presence.

Some 45,000 US troops remain stationed in Iraq, primarily charged with training and equipping their domestic counterparts.

Baghdad, Monday, AFP