Multiple Suicide Bomber Attempts End in Soldier Deaths near Baghdad

A suicide bomber drove a truck containing explosives into an Iraqi army checkpoint in Iskandariyah, a village south of Baghdad, according to the New York Times. His intended destination was an Iraqi army unit headquarters building. He was, however, shot by Iraqi soldiers before getting past the checkpoint, an act that potentially saved many lives.

Though he was stopped short, the blast was large enough to kill at least 12 Iraqi soldiers, wounding 30 more, and cause a sufficient amount of damage to surrounding buildings. The death toll is expected to rise, said an army official, once rescue teams searched through the wreckage.

This is not the only area to experience violence today. There have been incidents involving insurgency all throughout Iraq. Only hours earlier, there was a rocket strike on Camp Bucca, an area in south eastern Iraq that houses thousands of prisoners and insurgents. The attack killed six detainees. Officials are still unsure who is responsible, but are using intelligence systems to find out.

Northeast of Baghdad, American and Iraqi troops had a heated battle with insurgents, one of the bloodiest battles of the war. The troops were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades from inside a mosque. One American was shot and killed, and the fight eventually led to helicopters being called in to fire missiles at the insurgents operating inside. Shortly after, three suicide bombers attempted to blow up a government building in the same area, Baquba. All three were stopped and killed before reaching their destination, though one policeman was killed in the ensuing violence.