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Car bombings kill two Iraqi policemen

11 May 2011 02:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Two policemen have been killed and another wounded in two car bombings that ripped through a security patrol in the central Iraqi city of Tikrit, Iraqi security officials say, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The car bombs detonated when a police patrol was passing through the city center, AFP reported on Tuesday.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings.

Security officials suspect that the attack was carried out by al-Qaeda-linked groups that have vowed to strike back in retaliation for the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a US raid in Pakistan.

Militancy and terrorism continue to be rampant in Iraq eight years after the US-led invasion of the oil-rich country.

US troops are scheduled to completely withdraw from Iraq by the end of the current year in line with a bilateral accord, although US officials have recently intensified their campaign to extend their military presence in the country.

However, senior Iraqi officials have repeatedly insisted that they no longer desire a US military presence in the country and that the withdraw date for US troops must take effect on schedule.