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Baghdad Violence Kills Sunni Cleric, 2 Others

   VOA News 14 April 2010
   Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of a bomb attack that killed a
   high-ranking police officer in al-Nisoor Square

Photo: AP

   Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of a bomb attack that killed a
   high-ranking  police  officer in al-Nisoor Square in Baghdad, Iraq, 14
   Apr 2010

   Violence in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday left a Sunni cleric
   and a senior police official dead.
   In  the  first  attack,  police  say  gunmen opened fire on the cleric
   outside of the al-Rahman mosque in northern Baghdad.
   In  western  Baghdad,  Brigadier General Arkan Mohammed Ali was killed
   when  a  bomb  planted  on  his  car  exploded.  Three others nearby,
   including a police officer, were also wounded.
   In a central Baghdad commercial district Wednesday, a bomb exploded in
   a sports shop, killing one person and wounding at least six others.
   Attacks  in Baghdad have risen sharply since the March 7 parliamentary
   elections.  Iraqi officials fear political uncertainty is encouraging
   a  resurgence  of  extremist  violence, particularly by militants with
   al-Qaida in Iraq.
   The  election results gave former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's secular
   coalition  two  more  seats  than  the  Shi'ite-led coalition of Prime
   Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
   It could take months for rival coalitions to form a new government.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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