Gunmen injured an Iraqi general Thursday in southeast Baghdad and an explosion killed three people in the heart of the capital. Brig. Gen. Khalil al-Abadi, head of the Defense Ministry logistics office, was ambushed as he was driven to work in the Zafraniyah district, police said. His driver was also wounded, the AP reported.
The explosion in central Baghdad took place in a building on Tahrir Square, killing three and injuring 11, police Lt. Ali Mitaab said.
Meanwhile, the new Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, said he believes Iraqi forces are capable of taking over security around the country within 18 months. "Our forces are capable of taking over the security in all Iraqi provinces within a year-and-a-half," al-Maliki said in a written statement.
Al-Maliki also told NBC News that his government would speed up training of police and troops and "considering our determination to build our forces, we will be finished by the end of 2007."
