Suicide bombing, attacks and assassinations throughout Iraq killed at least 45 people Sunday, leaving the country in turbulence on the second anniversary of theUS-led invasion.

The US military said 24 insurgents were killed and seven otherswere wounded by the US forces during an exchange of fire on the outskirts of Baghdad on mid-Sunday. Six coalition soldiers were injured in the battle.

In the northern city of Mosul, a suicide bomber slipped into the office of General Walid Kachmoula, chief of the provincial anti-corruption department, and blew himself up inside, killing Kachmoula and two guards.

Hours after the bombing, attackers opened fire on the procession bearing Kachmoula's coffin when it was on the way to a cemetery, leaving two people dead and another 14 wounded.

At another site in Mosul, two people were found dead after being shot on their chest and head Sunday.

In Baquba, a town northeast of Baghdad, at least four policemenwere killed and another two were wounded when a group of gunmen raided a police station.

A truck bomb blasting at the entrance of an Iraqi barrack in Baquba left 17 people injured. Four insurgents were killed in an ensuing firefight there.

In the northern oil center of Kirkuk, a roadside bomb hit a US patrol convoy, killing one US soldier and injured three others, the US military said.

In Baiji, a Turkish driver traveling in a convoy escorted by the US military was shot dead by attackers.

In Samarra, insurgents killed a policeman and wounded three others during an attack. The police found the bodies of an Iraqi army officer and his cousin in the same area.

In the southern city of Basra, reports said an official convoy headed to Baghdad was attacked with no details on the casualties. However, a roadside bomb exploded in the path of a police patrol killed one civilian in the city, the police said.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the Iraq War, US President George W. Bush said Saturday that the war against Iraq has made America more secure and inspired movement toward democratic reforms across the Middle East.

"Because of our actions, freedom is taking root in Iraq, and the American people are more secure," said Bush.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also said Sunday that "it's a wonderful thing to see 25 million Iraqis liberated, to see their economy improve as it has been, to see their political process move towards democracy."

However, the continued resistance and attacks against the US-led coalition have never stopped since the war broke out two yearsago.

According to the latest statistics, the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq since the start of the invasion has exceeded 1,510 whereas the Iraqi police and military death toll stands around 2,000.

The figures also show that more than 14,000 Iraqis have been killed in the war.

On the anniversary, 100,000 people marched in London to protestthe war. Similar demonstrations were also staged across Europe.

Source: Xinhua