-- BAGHDAD -- A suicide bomber exploded a pickup truck outside a residential complex belonging to a state-run oil company north of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 22 people and wounding at least 50, local officials said.That's some Religion of Peace you've got there.
Local authorities said that victims were still being pulled from the rubble of two destroyed buildings and that the death toll was expected to rise.
At least three children were killed in the blast, which came amid a downturn in violence in the country.
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UPDATE: When one bomb just isn't enough
-- BAGHDAD, Dec. 25 -- Two bombs in separate Iraqi cities ripped through crowds of people Tuesday, causing some of the worst carnage in the country in recent weeks and revealing that -- despite the relative calm of recent months -- insurgent groups remain capable of devastating attacks.**********
LAST WORD: In other Christmas spirit news
-- NOUAKCHOTT, Dec 25 (Reuters) -- Mauritanian police have detained several suspects in the murder of four French tourists who were gunned down after refusing to hand over money when they stopped for a roadside lunch, officials said on Tuesday.
The head of the family, a man in his seventies, was shot in the leg and was taken to neighbouring Senegal for treatment. His two sons, his brother and a family friend were killed.
The use of automatic weapons in the shooting initially raised speculation that al Qaeda militants might be involved. In September, al Qaeda's second in command urged north Africa's Muslims to "cleanse" their land of Spaniards and French.