Bomb kills eight Iraqi soldiers, wounds four

BAGHDAD // A bomb explosion killed eight Iraqi soldiers in the restive northern Diyala province and wounded four others today, police said. The bomb exploded in the early morning when soldiers raided a house in the town of Sadiya, north-east of Diyala's capital Baquba, police said. The soldiers had been fired upon from the house, an Interior Ministry source said, while a police source said the soldiers had entered the house acting on a tip that hostages from kidnappings were held inside.

Officials were not immediately available with more details. The explosion caused the building to collapse, police said. Overall violence in Iraq has ebbed since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-07 but bombings and other attacks occur frequently. Tensions have been rising since a March 7 parliamentary election produced no clear winner. * Reuters