Six soldiers killed in Iraq as violence death toll hits 75

At least six soldiers have been killed in a bomb blast in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, bringing the death toll from Wednesday violence across the Arab country to 75.

The bomb attack took place on Wednesday afternoon as an Iraqi military convoy was crossing a bridge in Mosul.

Elsewhere, similar incidents killed scores of people and wounded nearly 130 others.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Iraqi officials say the main suspects are militants linked to al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, fierce clashes are still underway between al-Qaeda-linked militants and Iraqi security forces in the western province of Anbar.

On December 30, 2013, the violence broke out in the province when the army removed an anti-government camp in the city of Ramadi.

Iraqi authorities said the camp was used as “headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda.” The bloodshed later spread to the nearby city of Fallujah.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called on the people of Fallujah to “expel the terrorists” so that “their areas are not subjected to the dangers of armed clashes.”