President Barack Obama on Friday declared an end to the Iraq war, announcing that all U.S. troops will be withdrawing from the country by year’s end as promised in a deal struck before he took office.

Partnership with Iraq for regional security to continue.

Gunmen wearing military uniforms over explosives belts charged into a government building in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit on Tuesday in an attack that left 56 people dead, including 15 hostages who were shot execution-style.

About eight or nine insurgents were involved in the attack that began about 1:00 p.m. local time and last about four hours. A car was blown up immediately before the attack, apparently as a diversion. An intense shootout ended with 56 dead and about 100 injured when the insurgents blew themselves up.

Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda are suspected in the attack.

U.S. troops are scheduled to leave at the end of the year.

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BBC News Middle East Iraq blames al-Qaeda for Tikrit attack

A suicide bomber and some booby-trapped cars blew up in the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk Wednesday. Officials said at least 7 were killed and 80 wounded.

Police sources report that the first blast wounded an Iraqi police official, the second was aimed at a police patrol, and the third was outside a building used by Kurdish security forces. The bombs detonated in quick succession.

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Video shows aftermath of most deadly attack in Iraq since last October 31, 2010.

A suicide bomber blew himself up after detonating his explosives belt in a crowd of police recruits on Tuesday, killing at least 50 people and undercutting Iraqi security efforts as the nation struggles to show it can protect itself without foreign help.

The attack was the deadliest attack in Iraq since October 31, 2010, when armed commandos stormed mass at the Syriac Catholic Cathedral in Baghdad, killing two priests and 44 followers.

TUE NOV 02 2010 — Al Qaeda activated 19 car bomb explosions, suicide bombers, and roadside and sticky bombs — assaulting cars at main intersections. Army, police and emergency teams racing to the scenes of disaster were also hit by bombs and offense by Al Qaeda.

The public medical system was overloaded.

DEBKAfile Al Qaeda’s biggest attack on a state capital leaves 120 dead in Baghdad

Four blasts hit four Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday.

Explosions hit Kadhimiya in the northwest, Amil in the southwest, and Ur and Zuhour in the northeast. The explosions were related to car bombs or roadside bombs.

Four other blasts were reported later in the capital but there was no immediate word on specific locations and whether they caused any casualties.

Developing …

Iraqi military say gunmen trying to rob Iraq’s central bank battled security forces for hours Sunday after bombs ripped through a nearby area, leaving at least 15 dead.

Men wearing Iraqi military uniforms beheaded a Sunni cleric and displayed his head on an electricity pole in the town of Sadiyah, north of Baghdad, where he preached against al-Qaida.

Four gunmen entered the house of Abdullah Jassim Shakour Monday morning took the cleric into a room, killed him and exited the house with his head.

A car bomb and at least one suspected suicide bomber killed at least eight people in Mosul, Iraq and wounded around 120 during a soccer match on Friday in northern Iraq.

The blasts ocurred in Tal Afar, a town predominantly inhabited by Shi’ite Turkmen about 40 miles west of the city of Mosul, where Sunni Islamist insurgents such as al Qaeda remain active.

SOURCE: Reuters Canada Bombers attack soccer game in North Iraq, 8 dead

Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the two most senior leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq were killed in a joint Iraqi-U.S. operation.

A U.S. soldier was killed when a U.S. helicopter crashed during the Sunday morning military strike in al-Tharthar, about 10 kilometers south of Tikrit, Iraq.

Al-Masri’s assistant and al-Baghdadi’s son, who also were involved in terrorist activities, were also killed.

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