At least 2 soldiers killed in suicide bomb attack in Iraq's Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least two soldiers were killed and nine people wounded Monday in a suicide bomb attack targeting the Iraqi army in the northern city of Mosul, a local police source told Xinhua.

A suicide bomber blew up his explosive vest in the afternoon near an Iraqi army patrol in northern Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Several soldiers were among the nine wounded by the blast, which also destroyed a military vehicle and several nearby buildings and civilian cars, the source said.

The toll could rise as ambulances and civilian cars evacuated the victims to the city hospitals and medical centers, the source added.

The predominantly Sunni Arab city of Mosul has long been a stronghold for insurgent groups, including the al-Qaida group, which has been fighting the U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.