Iraq attacks kill two, wound 16

Two people were killed and 16 others wounded in five separate attacks in Iraq on Friday, security and medical officials said. In Baghdad, a police major's mother was killed and his father was wounded when a bomb detonated inside their house in the western neighbourhood of Ghazaliyah. "A bomb detonated inside the house of police Major Amjad Hameed, killing his mother and wounding his father," said a police official. A medical official in Kadhimiyah hospital confirmed receiving the body of the mother. In Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, a bomb wounded five people, a security official and a doctor at Kadhimiyah hospital said. In Tuz Khurmatu, also north of Baghdad, gunmen murdered a civilian and stole his car, a police official said. Doctor Hussein Abdullah from the town's hospital confirmed the death. Ten other civilians, including two children, a woman and a man from one family were wounded in three separate attacks in Kirkuk province, northern Iraq, security and medical officials said. The latest violence comes amid a spike in attacks, with Iraq suffering a wave of unrest in June. At least 282 people were killed, according to an AFP tally, though government figures said 131 Iraqis died. While violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, attacks remain common across the country.