Truck bomb kills at least 18 in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD — Officials say a truck bomb has exploded in a village in northern Iraq, killing at least 18 people and injuring 19 others.

A police officer and a health official in Mosul say the bomb went off before dawn Thursday about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of the city in the village of Wardek.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

They say the blast took down a number of houses and that the casualty toll was expected to rise because many people were still missing in the rubble.

They say a second truck bomb was later discovered and destroyed by security forces in the area.

Insurgents in northern Iraq have maintained a stronghold in the city of Mosul. Many of their attacks have hit remote villages.