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Global

Bombs kill five Iraqi soldiers in northern Iraq


    BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two roadside bombs exploding in quick succession killed five Iraqi soldiers overnight and wounded eight more while they were on patrol in a village in Iraq's volatile Diyala province, police said.

    The attack occurred in a village near Jalawla, 115 km (70 miles) north of Baghdad, at around midnight. One of the dead was an officer.

    Al Qaeda and other militants regrouped in Diyala, now one of Iraq's most violent provinces, after being routed from other parts of the country.

    A series of offensives last year weakened their grip on the province, but they are still capable of mounting lethal attacks.

    Violence has fallen across Iraq to lows not seen since 2003.

    (Reporting by Aseel Kami and Khalid al-Ansary; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Louise Ireland)