Iraq bomb in toy cart hits children in playground

By Mussab Al-Khairalla

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A bomb hidden in a cart of toys killed two children and wounded 17 others in a playground in northern Iraq on Friday, the first day of a national holiday to celebrate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The attack came the day after U.S. forces killed nine children and six women in an air strike northwest of Baghdad targeting suspected al Qaeda leaders. The U.N. mission in Iraq urged U.S. forces to conduct a "vigorous" probe into the strike.

Police Colonel Abbas Mohammed said a would-be suicide bomber pushed the cart into a play area in the predominantly Shi'ite northern town of Tuz Khurmato. He said the bomber was wounded.

The town's mayor, Mohammed Rasheed, told Reuters two boys aged between 10 and 12 had died and another 17 people under the age of 18 had been wounded in the deadly attack.

A youth with a smashed, bloodied face and mangled hand lay on a hospital bed in the nearby city of Kirkuk after the attack.

A man prayed by an injured boy while doctors wreathed the chest, arms and shoulders of another with bandages.

The U.S. military said it was conducting a "thorough investigation" of Thursday's strike by attack helicopters near Lake Thar Thar, about 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

The incident, on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, is likely to reignite tensions between Washington and Baghdad, which has repeatedly criticized U.S. forces over the number of Iraqi civilians killed in military operations.