Gunmen attacked and robbed a goldsmiths' market in the southern Iraqi city of Basra today, killing three people and wounding four, Reutes quoted police as saying. About half a dozen gunmen struck the market, located in an older section of the city, around closing time and opened fire before fleeing with gold and jewellery, police said. It was the second major attack on a gold market in Iraq in 15 days. On May 25, attackers killed 14 people at a market on a busy commercial street in the Bayaa district of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. U.S. forces have pulled out of Iraqi cities and are working to formally end combat operations by Sept. 1, cutting the U.S. military force from just under 90,000 to 50,000.
