KIRKUK, Iraq, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Five Iraqis were reported slain in Mosul and an Iraqi army commander survived an assassination attempt Sunday on his convoy in Kirkuk.
The five Iraqis, including a captain, were shot and their bodies dumped in separate locations in Mosul, the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, reported.
In Kirkuk, Hama Khan-Haji, the commander of the Khaneqeen Brigade, survived a bomb blast as he passed over a bridge in the city's center, KUNA reported.
Meanwhile, coalition forces reported significant progress against al-Qaida insurgents in four provinces in northern Iraq after two weeks of intense fighting. "Operation Iron Hammer" involved three U.S. brigade combat teams and four Iraqi Army divisions, KUNA reported.
The operation uncovered al-Qaida caches containing more than 500 mortar shells and artillery rounds, three tons of explosives, hundreds of mines and more than 100 machine guns, KUNA reported.
