The bomber blew himself up in a restaurant
in Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad,
two police officers said on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized
to release the information.
The bomber
walked into the cafe where people had
gathered around 5:30 p.m. and detonated his
explosives among customers, police said. At
least 30 people — a mix of Sunnis and
Shiites — were killed and 25 were wounded,
they said.
The U.S. soldiers were killed by the
roadside bomb as they patrolled a
well-traveled route northwest of Baghdad to
clear it of explosives, the military said.
Nine soldiers died in two separate attacks
on Monday — the deadliest single day for
Americans in Iraq
in nearly a month.
Associated Press Writer
