At Least 15 Killed in Iraq Bombings

Posted July 28th, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
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Iraqi officials say at least 15 people have been killed by two bomb blasts outside a bank where soldiers and police officers had gathered to collect their paychecks.

Investigators say the Thursday attack at the state-run Rafidain bank in the city of Tikrit wounded another 30 people.

Authorities say the first explosion was a car bomb. They say as people gathered, a suicide bomber detonated more explosives.

Tikrit is located about 130 kilometers north of Baghdad. It was the hometown of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, toppled by a U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

The attack comes as the United States moves ahead with plans to finish removing its forces from Iraq by the end of the year. Both U.S. and Iraqi officials have expressed concern about Iraq's ability to cope with security after the pull-out.