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Eleven wounded near Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Separate blasts near Baghdad wounded 11 Iraqi police officers Sunday, the second day of the holy month of Ramadan, authorities said.

The two roadside bomb blasts occurred in Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad, an interior ministry official told CNN.

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As Ramadan began Saturday, four Iraqi soldiers were killed in attacks in Baghdad and Zummar, while a bomb left inside a government worker's office in Mosul killed the worker and his two children, CNN reported.

Ramadan is traditionally considered a time of tranquility for Muslims worldwide, yet some extremists believe violent acts will gain them more credibility in the afterlife, authorities said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in a televised address Saturday, said his heart was full "of sadness and sorrow" after a week that saw more than 100 people killed and more than 500 wounded in a series of Baghdad truck bombings.

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