Explosion Caused Death Of Iraqi Governor

Iraqi officials say a roadside bomb has killed the governor of the southern Shi’ite majority province of Muthanna.They say at least three of Mohammed Ali al-Hassani’s bodyguards were wounded in Monday’s blast. Hassani was a member of Iraq’s largest Shi’ite political party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council. Another provincial governor and member of the party was assassinated earlier this month.
In other developments Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Syria for a three-day visit aimed at improving the security situation in Iraq, and increasing bilateral economic ties.
Also, Iran’s Foreign Ministry says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted Mr. Maliki’s invitation to visit Iraq. Tehran says no date has been set for the trip.
North of Baghdad today, the U.S. military said coalition forces killed eight terrorists and detained three others during a pre-dawn raid on a “Special Groups” leader who stored and distributed Iranian-made weapons.
VOA