Suicide Attacks in Iraq Kill At Least 45

Iraqi police say at least 45 people have been killed in suicide bombings south of Baghdad Thursday. Officials say another 150 were wounded when at least two bombs exploded in a crowded market in Hilla, 100 kilometers south of the capital.

In Baghdad, police say more than 10 people were killed in bombings and other attacks.

Six people died when a bomb exploded in a minibus in the city's Karrada district, while a car bomb exploded in a busy shopping area of the capital, killing at least three.

A mortar barrage hit the mostly Sunni Adhamiya district, killing at least two people.

Iraq's interior ministry said nearly 2,000 civilians were killed in January in sectarian and insurgent violence across the country. That figure is slightly higher than the 1,930 civilian deaths recorded by the ministry in December.

Iraqi officials said the number of wounded was more than 1,900 while about 590 insurgents were killed last month.

Also Thursday, the U.S. military announced the death of another American soldier from wounds sustained in combat in al-Anbar province, west of Baghdad.

On Wednesday, the military announced the deaths of four servicemen, who were killed in separate operations in Iraq. - VOA News