Insurgents in Iraq Kill 36
04 June 2006
Iraqi police say gunmen killed at least 36 people Sunday as political leaders again failed to agree on leaders for the country's army and police.
Police say that in one attack, gunmen killed 21 people, mostly students, after dragging them off buses at a makeshift checkpoint north of Baghdad. Witnesses say four people aboard the buses were spared.
Iraq's Interior Ministry says gunmen also shot dead four employees of a telephone company near Baghdad's Sadr City.
And in the southern city of Basra, police say at least 11 people were killed in a clash at a Sunni mosque.
Meanwhile, Iraq's political leaders postponed indefinitely a parliament session intended to consider choices for two key security posts. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had been expected to announce the names of candidates for the defense and interior ministers.
But deputy speaker Khaled al-Attiya said Sunday there continues to be disagreement about the candidates.
Iraq's national unity government was sworn in on May 20, without the interior and defense ministers. The two positions are key to improving the country's security situation amid rising sectarian, factional and insurgent violence.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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