Iraq: Bomb in Baghdad cafe kills nine

Several recent attacks have targeted evening customers in cafes Iraqi officials say a bomb exploded in south-west Baghdad on Wednesday evening, killing nine people and injuring many others. The device was planted inside a cafe and was detonated as customers watched a football match on television. The blast was in a mainly Shia Muslim area and is the latest of several to take place in cafes in the evening. The US plans to withdraw troops from from Iraqi cities and major towns on 30 June as overall violence has fallen. Correspondents say bombings remain a regular occurrence in Iraq, but May saw the fewest Iraqi deaths from violence in one month since the US-led invasion in 2003, with 124 civilians, six soldiers and 25 policemen killed by attacks, according to official figures. However, US forces suffered their worst monthly casualties since September 2008, with 24 soldiers killed. The US is due to end combat operations across Iraq by September 2010 and US President Barack Obama has pledged to remove all US troops from Iraq by 2012.