Car Bombs Kill 16 In Baghdad

Police also reported finding the bodies of 16 people in eastern Baghdad, all of whom were blindfolded and bound (RFE/RL) 2 February 2006 -- Two car bombs killed at least 16 people and wounded 65 others in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Reports say one car bomb exploded in a market and the other in a petrol station.

In other news, the U.S. military said today that five U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday throughout Iraq.

Also today, at least four Iraqi's were killed in fighting between U.S. forces and local Shi'ite militiamen in Baghdad's Sadr City district.

And Iraqi police said that the bodies of 16 people have been found in eastern Baghdad. All the victims were reportedly bound and blindfolded.

(compiled from agencies)

Iraq's Kurdish Region

KURDISH AWAKENING: The ethnic Kurdish region in the northern part of Iraq has struggled in recent years to reestablish its cultural and political identity after decades of oppression under the regime of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In December, RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel traveled to this area and filed several reports:

Relative Peace Underscores Issue Of Kurdish Region's Future

Kurdish Culture Begins To Flourish In Kurdistan Region

Kurds Ponder How To Strengthen Autonomy After Elections

Irbil’s Kurds Live On A Hill Of Undiscovered Treasures

THE COMPLETE STORY: RFE/RL's complete coverage of events in Iraq and that country's ongoing transition.