BAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi official says a bomb blast north of Baghdad has killed three Iraqi soldiers, hours before the nation’s parliament is to reconvene after Sunni-backed lawmakers ended their boycott to protest persecution of Sunni officials.
Police spokesman in Diyala province, Maj. Ghalib al-Karkhi, says a parked car bomb detonated near a military patrol late Monday in Baqouba, killing three soldiers and wounding three others.
Baqouba is a former al-Qaida stronghold, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.
Al-Qaida has frequently targeted Iraqi security forces since the U.S. troops left in December. The group appears to be exploiting a political crisis that has erupted after the Shiite-led government issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president on terrorism charges.
