continued horror in Iraq

Baghdad bombs kill 20, 1 hits Green Zone entry

BAGHDAD – A female suicide bomber blew herself up near an entrance to the U.S.-protected Green Zone and a bomb tore through a minibus carrying Iraqi government employees in separate attacks on Monday that killed at least 20 people, Iraqi officials said.

Three more people were killed in bomb attacks on police patrols in Baghdad and Baqouba, northeast of the capital, police said.

The violence came as Iraqi lawmakers prepared for a vote Wednesday on a security pact with the United States that would enable American forces to stay in Iraq for up to three more years under strict Iraqi oversight.

The Interior Ministry said it was stepping up security in the capital in response to the attacks. Additional measures included putting more undercover agents on the streets, it said in a statement.

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