Roadside bombs killed three workers and a policeman in Iraq on Wednesday, a day after bombings and shootings killed more than 70 people.
Early Wednesday, a bomb in a garbage bag lying on a street in downtown Baghdad went off near a group of labourers waiting to be hired for daily wage work, said police 1st Lt. Ahmed Mohammed Ali. According to the AP, he said three labourers were killed and eight were wounded. Minutes later a second bomb, also hidden in a bag, went off but caused no casualties, he said.
In the northern city of Mosul, a police patrol was hit by a roadside bomb Wednesday, killing one policeman and wounding four, said police 1st. Lt. Ahmed Khalil.
Also Wednesday, a man died when a bomb he was planting on a highway in northern Baghdad exploded, police Warrant Officer Mahoud Yassin said.
Despite the attacks, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani said Wednesday that Iraqi forces will take over security in all provinces by the end of the year. Talabani stated the government is confident of vanquishing terrorism.
"We are highly optimistic that we will terminate terrorism in this year... the multinational forces' role is a supportive one and the Iraqi forces will take over security in all Iraqi provinces by the end of this year gradually and God's will, we will take the lead," he said.
"The terrorists fear the unity of the Iraqi people," he said. "Our armed forces are doing well, but we expect more from them."
