Iraq: attacks in and around Baghdad kill 8

Afrasianet - Iraqi officials say eight people have been killed in bomb blasts and a shooting attack in and around the capital Baghdad.

Police officials say a bomb exploded Wednesday night near a falafel restaurant in Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 12.

A bomb on a commercial street in Mahmoudiya, a town just south of the capital, killed two people and wounded six.

In the town of Tarmiyah north of Baghdad, gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on an army checkpoint, killing three soldiers and wounding nine others.

Medics confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.