Iraqi officials have reported two new attacks against religious targets in the country.
In a village north of Baghdad, authorities say a suicide bomber killed at least nine people at a Sufi Muslim gathering late Thursday. The attack was reported Friday. Some Islamic extremists regard Sufis as heretics, but no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the southern city of Basra, meanwhile, authorities say gunmen shot and killed Ali Abdul-Hussein, leader of a Shi'ite mosque, as he stood outside his house late Thursday.
Officials also say a Turkman official, General Sabah Qaratun, was killed in a separate attack in the northern town of Kirkuk Friday.
The latest attacks come as Iraq's interior ministry issued its first civilian death toll, showing 12,000 people have died over the past 18 months.
Some information for this story provided by Reuters and AP.
