Two separate blasts kill 3, wound 18 in Iraq - msnbc.com

BAGHDAD — Two separate attacks against Iraqi security forces killed three people and wounded 18 others on Tuesday, officials said.

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A bomb in a parked car exploded around noon near an Iraqi army checkpoint in the northern city of Mosul, killing a soldier and a bystander, a police officer said. Twelve other passers-by were wounded in the attack.

Sunni-dominated Mosul, located 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, was a major haven for al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgent groups several years ago even as militant activity declined elsewhere.

Two hours earlier, a police patrol hit a roadside bomb in Baghdad's eastern neighborhood of Mashtal, killing a bystander and wounding six others, another police officer said.

Two doctors at hospitals in Mosul and Baghdad confirmed the respective casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Violence has dropped considerably since the height of Iraq's insurgency just a few years ago, but attacks continue almost daily in Baghdad.