Iraqi authorities say bomb attacks killed at least 13 people Thursday, including the Shi'ite mayor of a southern city and a Sunni tribal leader who was fighting al-Qaida in Iraq.
Officials say a bomb blast killed the mayor of Iskandariyah, Abbas al-Khafaji, and four of his bodyguards as he headed to work. The city has a mixed population of Sunni Arabs and Shi'ites.
North of Baghdad, Sheikh Muawiya Jbara of the Salahuddin Tribal Awakening Council died from injuries from a bomb attack in the town of Samarra. At least three bodyguards were also killed.
And a car bombing in southern Baghdad in Zafaraniyah district killed another four people.
Also Thursday, a famous Iraqi football player, Ahmed Radhi, was named as the replacement for a Sunni parliamentary member who left politics to join the insurgency. Radhi is taking over for Abid Nasir al-Janabi.
Radhi is the only Iraqi player to ever score in the World Cup finals. His earned the goal in a 1986 match against Belgium.
In a separate development, the U.S. military said a member of the Iraqi parliament is in U.S. custody after allegedly attending an al-Qaida meeting.
The U.S. military did not reveal lawmaker's identity. But an Iraqi parliament spokesman said Naif Jassin Mohammed, of the parliament's main Sunni bloc, was taken into custody during a funeral Wednesday in Shurqat, north of Baghdad.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
